Emergency responders in Enugu State have intensified a search for possible survivors after a four-storey uncompleted building collapsed in Independence Layout, with one male victim already recovered dead from the rubble.
The incident occurred at about 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 13, 2026, prompting the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to activate its emergency response machinery and deploy a rescue team to the scene.
NEMA Director-General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, directed the agency’s Enugu Operations Office to coordinate the rescue operation with relevant state and security agencies after reports emerged that people might be trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
The rescue team confirmed on arrival that some persons were trapped under the debris and immediately commenced search and rescue operations. An excavator was deployed to assist responders in removing the heavy rubble and accessing sections of the building where victims could be trapped.
By 11:20 a.m., responders had recovered the lifeless body of one male victim from the debris, while efforts continued to locate and rescue any other persons who might still be trapped.
NEMA said the number of possible victims remained uncertain as the rescue operation continued, stressing that emergency responders were painstakingly searching through the rubble to ascertain whether anyone else was trapped.
The operation involves NEMA, the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Nigeria Police Force, Enugu State Fire and Rescue Service, Enugu State Capital Territory Development Authority and the Enugu State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.
The agencies are expected to continue the operation until the debris has been thoroughly searched and the fate of any other persons who may have been trapped is established.
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