The three construction workers, who were initially trapped at the five-storey building collapsed at the premises of Dennis Memorial Grammar  School in Onitsha, the commercial hub of Anambra State, have been rescued.

The building, under construction, caved in at about 7:15 am on Wednesday, trapping the three of the workers.

As of 5:15 pm on Wednesday, one person was rescued during the operations carried out by the Anambra State Government officials and members of the Red Cross Society.

But speaking to our correspondent on Thursday, the chairman, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, Mr Victor Metu, disclosed that the three trapped workers were finally rescued before Thursday midnight.

Metu said an investigation to unravel the true cause of the collapse had commenced immediately, adding that the rescued team left the scene of the collapsed building around midnight on Thursday.

He stated that it was a full collapse and not a partial one noting that it could be traced to a faulty foundation and substandard materials.

He said, “We rescued the first trapped person around 6 pm on Wednesday, the second person around 9:30 pm and the third around 11:45 pm.

“As the chairman, I am going to write a letter to the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to set up a panel of inquiry consisting of professional expert engineers to carry out a final analysis on the collapsed building.

“Looking at the calibre and qualified engineers that were attached to the project, you will have no fear, but until this report comes to me because I perceived a lot of things yesterday, some were saying that the building was designed for two floors.

“They said the old boys who were the initiators of the building project saw the need to push it further, but that was a mere speculation until I see the drawing.”

He also said he would write to the chief consultant to provide him with the drawing so that he would know if it was designed for four or two floors.

“From the nature of the collapse, it was a complete collapse. If it were a partial collapse, we will know that the foundation is strong. The beams and columns were likely weak, probably there is a compromise of the standard,” he said.

He stressed that an integrity test would be carried out before he could holistically tell the public if the collapse was a human factor or natural factor.

“Someone said it was initially a tunnel where some people hide while another person said it was a dumping ground. If all these were correct, it means there was a hole there before it was converted to a dumping ground to fill it up. If after my analysis I find out that it is correct, the implication is that the foundation is faulty,” Metu added.

Also, the management of Dennis Memorial Grammar School has assured the general public of its willingness to conduct a thorough investigation to unravel the cause of the collapsed five-storey building on its premises.

The Director of Operations, DMGS Centenary, Mr Chijioke Orji, stated this in a statement available on Thursday.

He said, “The chairman of Anambra State Physical Planning Board visited and we initiated the statutory collaboration of information. We are committed to providing support to affected individuals and their families.

“DMGS will rise from this disaster, following the investigations, the cornerstone will be to conduct a thorough review of the incident, identifying areas for improvement and implementing changes to prevent similar incidents in the future.”

He stressed that their priority was to ensure the safety of those involved, provide medical assistance and secure the site.