Delta state government has advised property developers to engage the services of professionals in the building industry in order to avert the loss of lives and property to building collapse.
The Secretary to the Delta State Government, SSG, Mr Chiedu Ebie, gave the advice in Asaba while on an on the spot assessment of a collapsed building at Sunny Block Industry in the Camp 74 community, off Anwai road, Asaba.
Mr Ebie, who expressed sadness over the unfortunate incident, regretted the loss of a life, noting that information at his disposal had it that the owner of the building had rejected it because of the substandard materials used in the construction of the house.
The SSG said investigation revealed that the construction of the uncompleted building started about seven years ago without any professional supervision and warned builders to adhere strictly to stipulated standards and specifications while executing any building project.
He said the state government would continue to insist on adherence to set standard in the building sub sector with a view to averting future occurrences.
Some of the residents of the area who spoke with newsmen, said the deceased was the only occupant of the collapsed building.
They said rescue operation lasted for about five hours when the body of the deceased, who hailed from Akwa-Ibom state, was evacuated.
The SSG was accompanied by some officials of the state Ministries of Works, Lands and Surveys, as well as Housing, among others.
The SSG, Mr Chiedu Ebie, also visited the scene of another collapsed building in Abraka, Ethiope east local government area, where preliminary investigation showed that the project was executed contrary to approved building plan and with substandard materials.
Mr Ebie dislosed that the owner of the collapsed building, one Chief Efe and the Togolese site engineer had been arrested, adding that investigation into the remote and immediate causes of the collapse was in progress.
Four lives were lost in the Abraka incident.
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