The Rivers State government has ordered for the immediate arrest of construction engineer of the collapsed building at the Ada-George area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The two-storey building belonging to 1708 Hotel, Rumuoke by Okilton Junction, off Ada George, collapsed at about 6.15 a.m. on Thursday, June 29th.
Emeka Woke, the Rivers State Commissioner for Works, while inspecting the level of damage and causal effect of the incident, said that the government would take every measure to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the collapse.
After an inspection at the site of the incident, Woke said, “Early this morning, the governor, Siminialaye Fubara, was informed about this building collapse. He directed that I immediately visit the site on his behalf and assess the extent of the damage and report back to him.
“Having seen the building, the first thing we did was carry out a personnel audit and from available records, no life was lost, but we have been told that four persons sustained some injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment,” he said.
Search and rescue operations are still ongoing to ensure that nobody is in fact trapped underneath as the builder claims.
The commissioner said that the governor also directed that the premises of the collapsed building be sealed off pending investigation.
The government has also warned professionals in the building sector in the state to henceforth to comply strictly with all necessary regulations as it will not condone any deviation from extant laws and regulations in the sector.
Members of the public have been urged to report to the authorities, activities of suspected unauthorized builders across the State.
