A five-storey building under construction has collapsed in Onitsha, an Anambra State commercial hub.
The building located at Basden Street, Fegge, Onitsha-South local government, according to sources, caved in from the fifth floor in the morning of Sunday.
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Some workers were said to be on the fifth floor working when the building suddenly caved in.
No casualties had been confirmed as of the time of filing this report on Sunday night, though rescue operations, including excavation equipment, had been deployed to the site of the collapsed building, and the entire area had been cordoned off by the operatives of the Anambra State Police Command.
The managing director of the state Physical Planning Authority, Mr. Chike Mmadumere, who confirmed the incident, stated that only a three-storey building structure was approved for the developer and lamented that the latter started building five-storey buildings.
Sadly, the collapse of the five-storey building meant for use for commercial purposes occurred just about three weeks after a three-storey building also under construction meant for use for commercial purposes collapsed at nearby Ochanja Market also in the commercial city.
When the state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, visited the site of the collapsed building, he handed down an order that no building should be constructed in a market in the state without his approval.
Sources said that before the building collapsed, there were signs that it was having structural challenges after a heavy rain that occurred in the area on Friday.
It was gathered that after the rain, cracking noises were being heard in parts of the building.
Sources in the area stated that a thunderous noise accompanied the collapse of the five-storey building.