At least 16 trapped as five-storey building under construction collapses in Port Harcourt

A five-storey building under construction has collapsed in Port Harcourt, trapping no fewer than 16 persons, including a site engineer, beneath the rubble.

The incident occurred at about 9 a.m. on Wednesday, throwing residents and workers in the area into panic.

Eyewitnesses said several construction workers were on site when the structure suddenly gave way, burying them under the debris.

Emergency responders, security agencies and local residents immediately launched rescue operations in an effort to reach those trapped beneath the collapsed building.

The exact cause of the collapse has yet to be determined, while the number of casualties and survivors remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.

Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with anxious relatives, sympathisers and onlookers gathered around the site as rescue efforts continued.

Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the incident, while rescue operations remain ongoing.

The latest collapse adds to growing concerns over building safety standards and regulatory compliance in parts of Nigeria, where cases of structural failures have repeatedly resulted in loss of lives and property.