No fewer than seven persons have been confirmed injured in the mini shopping mall that collapsed along the popular Nnebisi road opposite City Complex, Asaba, the Delta State capital.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Patrick Ukah, made the disclosure on Thursday evening while speaking with newsmen shortly after inspecting the collapsed building.
Although, he didn’t disclosed the cause of the collapse, he assured journalists that tomorrow, Friday after investigation, the real cause of the collapsed building would be made public.
A source disclosed that the collapsed building was as a result of 1,200 bags of foreign rice packed on the first floor by the rice dealer.
Another source said the decking was loaded with 900 bags of rice in the morning and the building collapsed in the evening.
A source further revealed that the building was converted to a mini mall, saying that the collapse building was carrying goods that is more than its design.
The source further disclosed that the building has been there since 1985, arguing that it wasn’t built that same year as it was renovated without the inputs of experts.
A building engineer who spoke to journalists at the scene of the collapsed building, equally maintained that the quantity of rice packed on the decking was heavier than the weight of the building, forcing it to collapse.
