A woman and her 14-year-old daughter have died after a three-storey building under construction collapsed on a nearby boys’ quarters where they were sleeping in Okpoko, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The victims, identified as Mrs Happiness Ugoagu and her daughter, Confidence, were trapped beneath the rubble when the building came crashing down amid heavy rainfall on Thursday morning.
The incident occurred at No. 11 Emeka Ugwuanyi Street, near Anabanaba, Okpoko, leaving residents and emergency responders scrambling to rescue those trapped under the debris.
Ugoagu and her daughter, who were indigenes of Uga in Aguata Local Government Area of the state, were reportedly asleep inside the boys’ quarters when the neighbouring structure collapsed on it.
Their remains were eventually recovered after several hours of rescue operations involving residents, sympathisers and emergency management officials.
The Coordinator of the Local Emergency Management Agency and an indigene of Ogbaru, Nnamdi Esmai, said efforts were intensified to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble.
The Administration Officer of the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency, Ndidi Omega, confirmed that an excavator had been deployed to the scene to assist in clearing the debris.
The National Emergency Management Agency also joined the operation, with the Head of Operations at its Enugu Operations Office, Priscilla Madukwe, confirming that a team had been dispatched to support the response.
The rescue operation was supervised by the Mayor of Ogbaru Local Government Area, Nnamdi Ifejika.
Following the recovery of the bodies, the remains of the mother and daughter were evacuated to a morgue, while responders and residents continued clearing the rubble and working to ensure the safety of the affected area.
Reacting to the tragedy, the member representing Ogbaru State Constituency I in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Noble Igwe, expressed sympathy with the bereaved family, describing the incident as unfortunate and devastating.
The cause of the collapse had not been established as of the time of filing this report.
