VIDEO: Building collapses on seven construction workers in Bauchi

By Rauf Oyewole 

Seven construction workers were evacuated from rubble after a two-storey building collapsed on labourers on Monday evening at the Sir Kashim Road, about 500meters from the Government House, Bauchi.

Our Correspondent gathered that the structure caved in while the workers were raising the third floor. According to the workers who survived the collapse, the building came down suddenly while the work was ongoing.

One of the workers, Abba AbdulKareem narrated that the building came down while they were planning to go on a break. “We are going to break, planning to return and work for about 10 minutes and conclude the day's work, suddenly we realised that part of the building came down.”

Speaking on the incident the General Manager of the Bauchi State Physical Planning and Development Board, TPl. Ibrahim Mohammed, after his on-spot assessment said that the preliminary investigation showed that the deficiency on the building. 

“We have identified three major causes of the collapse: substandard iron material and unprofessionalism on the part of the project supervisor and the ratio of the mixture of the materials is very poor.”

Speaking on whether there was an approval for the structure, Mohammed said that he was aware of an approval but for a different structure. “Along the line, they probably changed what we approved for them.”

It was gathered that the affected workers were rescued alive and were taken to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) for treatment. When our Correspondent visited the hospital on Monday night, the victims were said to have been discharged immediately.