COREN commences investigation into Oniitsha building collapse, rescues 3

By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha

The Chairman, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Mr Victor Metu on Thursday, said that the body has commenced investigation into the collapse of five storey building at Dennis Memorial Grammar School, DMGS,

He said that three workers were rescued, and that the team left the scene of the building collapse after the rescue.

According to him: “Three construction workers were trapped in the debris, we rescued the first person around six in the evening yesterday, the second person around 9:30 p. m. and the third around 11:45 p. m.

“As the chairman, I’m going to write a letter to Gov. Charles Soludo of Anambra, to set up panel of enquiry consisting of professional experts engineers to carry out final analysis on the collapsed building.

“Looking at the caliber and qualified engineers that were attached to the project, you will have no fear, but until this report comes to me because I perceiving a lot of things yesterday, some were saying that the building was designed for two floor.

“They said the old boys who were the initiator of the building project saw the need to push it further, but that was a mere speculation, until I see the drawing.

“I will also write to the chief consultant to provide me with the drawing, I will then know if it was designed for four, three or two storeys”, he said.

The COREN chairman further stated that it was a full collapse not a partial collapse noting that the collapse could be traced to a faulty foundation.

“From the nature of the collapse, it was a complete collapse, if it were a partial collapse, we will know that the foundation is strong. It is likely that the beams and columns are weak, probably there is a compromise of the standard.

“But in this case it was a complete collapse, meaning that the foundation is faulty, and either there was a foundation shift, and the whole thing sunk”, he added.

He stressed that the situation called for concern, assuring that they would dig to find out the level of foundation if it was designed for the five-storey building.

He noted that there were allegations about the purported piece of land where the collapsed building was erected, some said it was a burial ground for Biafra soldiers while others claimed it was a dumping ground.

“Someone said it was a tunnel for the Biafran soldiers, where they used to attack their enemies, while another person said it was a dumping ground.

“If all these were correct, it means there was a hole there before it was converted to a dumping ground in other to fill it up, if after my analysis and I find out that it is correct, the implication is that the foundation is faulty.

“In other words, they ought to have done not just 1.5 dip, but at least up to six or seven and then, it would also be wrong for that type of building to be positioned there”, he stressed.

He assured that an integrity test would be carried out, before he can now come holistically to tell the public if it was a human factor or natural factor.