The Police Command in Rivers has confirmed that two persons are rescued from the collapsed three-storey building under construction along Odili Road in Port Harcourt.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, with reports indicating that one person was feared dead while several workers remained trapped beneath the rubble.
The command’s spokesperson, ASP Blessing Agabe, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Port Harcourt that rescue operations were ongoing at the site.
Agabe said the police could not immediately confirm the number of casualties but disclosed that two persons were rescued alive.
“Rescue workers are still clearing the debris from the collapsed building, and as such, I cannot provide an accurate account of the casualties.
“However, I can confirm that two persons have been rescued from the rubble,” she said.
According to her, emergency responders are continuing efforts to locate and rescue other victims believed to be trapped under the debris.
Eyewitnesses at the scene attributed the collapse to possible structural defects, although the exact cause was yet to be determined.
A survivor, identified simply as Gift, said no fewer than eight workers were trapped when the building collapsed.
He claimed that some construction workers were rescued alive shortly after the incident on Wednesday.
“About eight persons were working inside the building when it collapsed,” he said.
Also speaking, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, said emergency personnel were immediately deplored after reports of the collapse.
Wachukwu said ambulances were mobilized to evacuate survivors for urgent medical attention.
“So far, two severely injured persons have been rescued and taken to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital for treatment,” he said.
Another person has been rescued from the debris by the rescue operations which are being coordinated by the Rivers State Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning and the Ministry of Health.
Other agencies involved include the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Federal Road Safety Corps.
Excavation of the debris continues Thursday as rescue teams intensified efforts to reach those still trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
