(Building Collapsed. Photo by Arise News)
A three-storey privately owned hostel housing students of the Federal Polytechnic Oko has collapsed in Amokpala, Oko, within Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, trapping an unknown number of occupants under the rubble.
The building, known as Elite Five Star Lodge, reportedly gave way late Sunday night near Tonimas Filling Station in the Oko Polytechnic community, sparking panic among students and residents as screams for help rang out from beneath the wreckage.
Emergency teams, including operatives of the Anambra State Police Command, the Anambra State Fire Service, the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and other security and rescue agencies, were mobilised to the site to begin search-and-rescue efforts.
A number of injured survivors have already been pulled from the wreckage and rushed to a hospital in Oko for treatment, while rescue workers continue trying to reach other occupants still believed to be buried beneath the debris.
Officials said the precise number of casualties and trapped victims could not yet be verified, as rescue operations were still underway at the time of filing this report.
Confirming the development, the Anambra State Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said a joint security team led by the police had quickly cordoned off the area and was coordinating emergency response efforts to avert further casualties.
He appealed to members of the public to remain calm, refrain from circulating unverified reports, and keep away from the site so that emergency personnel could carry out rescue work without obstruction.
Ikenga added that the police command would release further updates as more confirmed details emerge.
