One person has died and four others have been rescued after a four-storey building under construction collapsed on Ogbalu Street, Independence Layout, Enugu State.
The building reportedly caved in at about 6 a.m. on Sunday, trapping workers who were sleeping at the construction site.
Rescue teams recovered the body of one worker from the rubble, while four others were pulled out alive and taken to the Enugu State Teaching Hospital for medical attention.
According to the Enugu State Capital Territory Development Authority, six people were sleeping at the site when the building collapsed. One of them, however, had stepped out shortly before the incident.
Emergency responders, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigerian Red Cross Society, Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Enugu State Capital Territory Development Authority and the police, have joined the rescue operation.
Officials are yet to determine what caused the structure to collapse.
The incident has renewed concerns over compliance with building regulations, construction standards and safety measures at building sites across Enugu and other parts of Nigeria.
Building collapses remain a recurring safety concern in the country, with poor construction practices, use of substandard materials, weak supervision and failure to comply with approved building standards often cited among the factors that can contribute to structural failures.
Authorities are expected to investigate the Enugu collapse and establish whether any construction or regulatory violations were involved.