No fewer than two people are still trapped in a club house which collapsed at Phase IV road in Jikwoyi, Abuja on Friday, 3 October, 2014, reports stated.
Daily Trust reports that the building collapsed while it was being converted from a bungalow to a storey building, trapping some construction workers and customers of a business premise behind it.
It was also gathered that four people were pulled out alive by rescue workers within hours of the incident and rushed in ambulances to nearby hospitals, while voices were heard under the rubble calling for help and making phone calls.
Resident of the area were seen wailing and showing rescue officials where people were trapped in the collapsed building.
One of the eyewitnesses of the tragic incident who spoke with newsmen informed that no fewer than 13 people were still trapped under the rubble.
The affected building named ‘Mimshack Arena’ belongs to a policeman, according to residents within the area.
Speaking on how it happened, Emeka Ikechuckwu, a resident, said some customers were drinking at the bar, while construction work was going on when the building caved in.
Another resident, Celestine, put the time of the incident at 10 am and said as at 3.30 pm, only four people had been rescued.
He informed that many residents in the area thought it was a bomb explosion when the incident occurred, saying until they saw rescue workers converging at the place before they rushed back to assist.
Also commenting on rescue operation, one rescue official complained that buildings around the area were built so closely that rescue vehicles had difficulty getting to the scene of the incident.
Meanwhile, Ishaya Chonoko, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), FCT operations coordinator, was seen at the scene of the building collapse coordinating rescue operations.
However, NEMA information officer, Manzo Eziekiel, said that the building collapsed as a result of an additional floor being constructed.
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