A building has collapsed in the Abuloma area of Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, setting off a rescue operation that was still under way as emergency responders combed through the rubble. According to Channels Television, teams at the scene were focused on reaching anyone still buried beneath the debris, and the operation drew in police, the Red Cross and private construction firms as the scale of the incident became clear.
An eyewitness recalled hearing a loud bang moments before the structure came down, a sound that signalled the sudden failure of the building. The account added to the picture of a collapse that happened quickly and without warning, leaving people caught inside as the floors gave way and rescuers scrambled to respond.
In the early stages, the rescue effort was hampered by a shortage of equipment and a broken-down excavator, which slowed the work of clearing the rubble. The situation improved when major construction companies intervened and brought in heavy-duty machinery, giving the responders the means to move the heavier debris and reach the sections where people were believed to be trapped. Those coordinating the operation said that around six other buildings standing nearby would have to be brought down in order to reach more of the people trapped and save further lives.
One of those leading the rescue described being called to the site after learning that people were trapped, saying he had the equipment and everything needed to carry out the operation. He confirmed that two people had been pulled out alive earlier and taken to hospital, part of a total of about three survivors recovered from the rubble, including one rescued less than half an hour before he spoke.
The rescuer said the three people brought out alive had suffered some degree of injury, and he also referred to a casualty at the scene. He stressed that, based on the information gathered, there were still some people believed to be trapped inside the building, which is why the search was continuing rather than winding down. Officials at the scene said there were many reports of people still inside and that they could not be completely certain of the number, while a site engineer was also said to be among those trapped in the rubble.
The Red Cross was among those carrying out the search and rescue, describing its duty as going in to recover as many people as could be found. Its teams worked alongside the construction crews and other responders, pressing on with the effort to locate survivors while the outcome for those still unaccounted for remained uncertain.
Officers of the Rivers State Police Command were also deployed to control the crowd that had gathered and to safeguard the rescue personnel. According to the police, information about the collapse reached the command headquarters from the Divisional Police Officer of the Abuloma Division, after which the Commissioner of Police directed officers to cordon off the area in order to reduce further casualties and allow the rescue operation to proceed.