By Our Correspondent
A mother and her 14-year-old daughter have died after a three-storey building under construction collapsed on them at Okpoko, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, amid allegations that warnings about the safety of the structure were ignored.
The victims, identified as Mrs Happiness Ugoagu and her daughter, Chikaima, were reportedly asleep in their bedroom when the building collapsed at about 9:45 p.m. in the Anata Anaba area of Okpoko.
Residents told the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) that the land was waterlogged and that an engineer initially engaged for the project had advised that construction should not exceed two storeys because of the ground conditions.
They alleged that the advice was disregarded and another engineer engaged to continue the project to three storeys.
Chimobi Ugoagu, son of the deceased woman and brother of the teenage victim, said three members of the family were in the apartment when the building collapsed.
He said he was outside while his siblings were in the sitting room, but his mother and sister were in the bedroom directly beneath the collapsing structure.
Chimobi said he had personally warned the builder about the danger and joined other residents in calling for the project to be stopped, but their appeals were ignored.
Visiting the scene, the Anambra State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Chijioke Ojukwu, described the incident as unfortunate.
Ojukwu alleged that substandard materials had been used in the construction and disclosed that a stop-work notice had previously been issued on the building.
He described the structure as illegal and ordered its demolition, alongside other unapproved buildings under construction in the area.
The incident has renewed concerns about building safety and compliance with construction regulations in Okpoko, particularly amid allegations that warnings about the collapsed structure were ignored.
