With dozens of victims still feared trapped and rescue operations hindered by inadequacy of equipment to cut through each of seven 28-inch concrete decking now piled against its basement, the collapsed Port Harcourt building has assumed a monumental tragedy.
Nobody is sure exactly how many persons were in the basement and those on the ground floor when all of the six and partly completed seventh floor came crashing down.
However, Chigozie Anayo, 27, a concrete caster at the failed project, who cheated death with facial injuries, could only estimate. “We were many.
If they say we are only 38 that have come out, I believe we have more than that number still trapped”, as reported by Vanguard.
“It was pay day. Even those who had no duty to carry out that day were alerted to come and collect their wages, so were some contractors.
Some were in the basement all eager to have their share of the millions of Naira in wages brought and trapped”.
At press time on Friday, eight days after the tragedy, the rescue team, supervised by Rivers State Commissioner for Special Duties, Emeka Onowu, put the casualties at eight mortalities and 26 survivors.
Through the weekend of the collapse, hopes were high of more persons coming out alive as rescue operations continued, just as some relatives could still engage trapped victims in phone conversation, confirming they were still alive as they cried for help.
Regrettably, after a lucky survivor, simply identified as Ogoni born Christian, was pulled out bleeding on the nose five days after the collapse, further hopes of pulling out more victims alive were dampened amid feelers that underground flooding was rising to suffocating levels on the basement where most victims had remained safe.
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