Six family members killed as building collapses in Enugu landslide
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Six members of one family died in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State when a head tank collapsed on their building during torrential rainfall that triggered landslides and cut off two communities from the rest of the state.
Enugu - Six members of the same family were killed in a building collapse in the Nenwenta community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, following torrential rainfall that triggered landslides in the area.
Villagers told The Nation that the victims were a man, his wife, their three children and their grandmother, who were crushed when a head tank collapsed on the building. Only one child, said to be four years old, survived and was later rescued and rushed to hospital.
The tragedy occurred on September 18, 2026, amid a landslide that cut off Nenwenta and the neighbouring Ugwueme community from the rest of Enugu State, leaving residents stranded and making access difficult for emergency responders. The development also forced residents travelling out of the affected communities to pass through Abia and Imo states before reaching other parts of Enugu State.
The member representing Awgu South State Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Anthony Nwankwo, confirmed the incident when he raised the matter on the floor of the Assembly under a motion of urgent public importance. Nwankwo said the collapse of the head tank claimed the lives of six members of the same family while a four-year-old child survived, and lamented that the victims might have been rescued alive but for the lack of access to the communities.
The lawmaker moved that the House write to the relevant authorities to intervene and open the road leading to Ugwueme and Nenwenta, and appealed to the Enugu State Ministry of Works, the Enugu State Emergency Management Authority and the Ecological Fund to act urgently to restore access and prevent further loss of life and property.
Contributing to the motion, the lawmakers representing Ezeagu, Nkanu East and Oji River constituencies, Chima Obieze, Okey Mba and Osita Eze, described the incident as a natural disaster and warned residents against building close to hills or engaging in reckless excavation of soil and stones. They urged the government to reopen the cut-off road and provide relief to residents of the two communities.