Three killed as shopping complex collapses in Osun
Written on
Seven apprentice tilers were sleeping at the construction site when the multi-storey complex came down late on Friday; four others were injured and taken for treatment.
Three people were killed and four injured when a multi-storey shopping complex under construction collapsed in Osun State at about 11pm on Friday, trapping seven artisans working at the site beneath the rubble.
The victims were apprentice tilers who had travelled from Ejigbo, Osun State, to work on the building. Sources at the scene said the artisans had worked late into the night and decided to sleep at the construction site so they could resume on Saturday morning, and became trapped when the structure suddenly gave way while their supervisor was absent.
The collapsed structure comprised 12 shops on the second and third floors, with two additional stores in the basement. Sources alleged that the building was already in poor condition before it collapsed and that construction was carried out without proper engineering supervision, with the owner said to have personally supervised the project and purchased the materials. His residence is reportedly located behind the complex.
Officers of the Federal Fire Service and other emergency responders worked at the scene to rescue the trapped artisans and attend to the injured. Three deaths were confirmed and four survivors sustained varying degrees of injury, according to the report.
The cause of the collapse had not been independently established as of the time of filing, and authorities had yet to issue an official statement. The identities of the victims and the condition of the injured survivors remained unclear.