Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has ordered the immediate sealing of the site of the collapsed building along Odili Road, Port Harcourt, banning any further activities at the location.

The governor gave the directive when he visited the scene of the incident on Thursday.

He described the collapse as unfortunate and expressed sympathy for the victims.

Governor Fubara said the site did not fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Rivers State Government but under the control of the Federal Housing Authority.

He, however, disclosed that reports from the Commissioner for Urban Development indicated that the state authorities had visited the site several times to inspect the ongoing construction.

According to him, the developer had repeatedly claimed that the state government lacked the authority to interfere in the project.

The governor expressed concern that such an incident could occur in the 21st century, when engineering technology has advanced significantly, questioning why an engineer would allow a project to continue despite visible warning signs.

He stressed the need for strict compliance with building standards and professional ethics to prevent avoidable disasters.

Governor Fubara further directed that the site remain sealed while investigations into the cause of the collapse continue.

Rescue Team Ends Operation

Meanwhile, rescue operations at the site of the collapsed building ended on Thursday without any additional victims being rescued from the rubble.

The rescue exercise, involving the excavation of debris, is being carried out through a joint effort by Julius Berger and other emergency response agencies.

Rescue workers resumed operations at about 8:00 a.m. and spent several hours carefully clearing the debris in search of persons believed to be trapped beneath the collapsed structure.

However, after working until about 6:00 p.m., the team suspended activities for the day after the excavation yielded no new recovery.

Rescue officials attributed the pause to an obstruction encountered during the operation, adding that the search and rescue mission will resume on Friday.

Earlier, the chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Allwell Ihunda, visited the scene to assess the rescue efforts and receive updates from emergency officials.

During the visit, the chairman interacted with members of the rescue team and commended their commitment to the operation as efforts continue to locate persons who may still be trapped beneath the rubble.

“The delay is just because of this obstruction; once we pull it down, it will give us more access to keep searching,” one of the rescue team members from Julius Berger explained.

“And what about the site engineer? Are there people still inside the wreckage?” Ihunda enquired.

“From what we gathered, the site engineer and others, though, were not sure of the numbers still inside the wreckage,” another rescue team member responded.

Speaking at the scene, a member of the rescue team, Valentine Onwumelu, said the operation was carried out with caution to ensure the safety of anyone who may still be trapped, expressing hope that the search would continue until all missing persons were accounted for.

One person was confirmed dead on Wednesday, while three others were rescued after the collapse of a building under construction along Odili Road in Port Harcourt.