The building reportedly collapsed at about 6am on Sunday along Ogbaru Street, trapping workers who were believed to have been sleeping at the construction site at the time.
Emergency responders, including the National Emergency Management Agency, the Nigerian Red Cross, the State Emergency Management Agency, the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority and the police, were deployed to the scene to search through the debris and rescue those trapped.
Four workers were pulled from the rubble and taken for medical treatment, while the search continued for another victim. Reports from the scene said one body was later recovered, although some initial accounts described the person as feared dead.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about compliance with construction regulations and the enforcement of building standards in the state.
The Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, Uche Anya, who visited the scene, said preliminary findings indicated serious structural concerns and alleged that the developer had failed to comply fully with the conditions attached to the property’s approval.
According to officials, the property had initially received approval in 2021, but authorities later carried out inspections as part of efforts to monitor ongoing construction projects.
Anya said the agency had previously taken regulatory action concerning the property, including sealing the site, but construction activities reportedly continued.
Eyewitnesses said several workers normally stayed at the uncompleted building. One of those who was expected to be at the site had reportedly left shortly before the collapse, reducing the number of people trapped inside.
The cause of the collapse has not been conclusively established, as authorities continue to investigate the incident.
The latest tragedy has renewed calls for stricter enforcement of building regulations, closer supervision of construction projects and stronger penalties for developers who disregard safety standards.
Authorities have also continued searching the wreckage to establish whether anyone else remains trapped beneath the debris.
