Though three persons have so far been confirmed trapped and killed in the rubbles of the four-story building that collapsed in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, on Saturday evening, it is relieving to know that survivors who were rushed to the hospital are responding positively to treatment.
When Tribune Online visited Life Care Specialist Hospital at No. 1 Udosen Uko Street off Nnwaniba Road, Idorenyin Effiong, an electrician, who was timely rescued by neighbours was fast regaining his health.
Trying to recollect what happened on that eventful evening, the father of two said he was about to close for the week when he noticed a wave of dust from the ground floor rising to the fourth floor where he was. He could not comprehend what was happening but noticed that the building he had carried out electrical installations from the ground floor had turned into a heap of concrete, dust and rods.
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He said he was on the fourth floor of the building alongside two of his labour hands.
Narrating his escape, Idorenyin a native of Afaha Etok Ibesikpo, in Ibesikpo Asutan local government area said: “It was my boy that help to roll away a block of concrete that fell on me.
“We were five of us on the fourth floor when the building collapsed. As an electrician, I was only contracted to do electrical installations, I never knew such a thing can happen in Uyo because we have dry land here.
“I really thank God for good people at the scene of the mishap, except for the pains from my waist down where the concrete fell on me, my condition is better.” He narrated.
Another survivor, Ekemini from Nung Oku Akpasima, in Ibesikpo Asutan local government area, who referred to Idorenyin as his master, recalled that they were about to close for the day when the incident happened.
According to Ekemini, they were about to go downstairs, and have their bath, when Idorenying noticed the dust coming from the lower floor before they could rush down the building had collapsed under them and when they regained consciousness they were in the hospital.
The third survivor, Emmanuel Etim was unable to talk as he was still in severe pain and under the influence of the sedative administered to him to stabilise his condition.
Tribune Online gathered that one of the persons rushed to the hospital, Mason did not survive the mishap because of the severity of injuries sustained during the incident. He passed on shortly after they were brought into the facility.
The Chief Medical Director of Life care Clinic, Dr David Umoessien said that the three survivors were under stable conditions and were responding positively to treatment.
The exact number of persons trapped under the collapsed building is yet to be unravelled as a rescue operation was still going on at the scene as of Sunday evening.
The building reportedly fell on a residential building, where two children were watching television, there were also three shops nearby, which the building fell on with their occupants.
So far, only one corpse, identified as an Igbo man, has been retrieved from the heap of concrete and rods.
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