BY DAYO JOHNSON

AKURE — TWO persons were crushed to death following the collapse of a two-storey building under construction in Akure, the Ondo State capital, Thursday.

No fewer than three others were seriously injured when the building collapsed around 7a.m. at Sango area  along Akure/Ado road.

The casualties were workers on the site said to be a private secondary school owned by a popular proprietor in Ondo town.

Vanguard gathered that the casual workers arrived the site as early as 6 a.m. and were mixing the concrete when the building suddenly collapsed on two of them and were killed instantly.

Another victim  was said to be returning to the place where they were mixing the concrete when the building came down on him.

He was said to have been rushed to the hospital but died on the way.

Speaking with newsmen in Akure, an eyewitness, Mr Abiodun Sunday, said the building came down with a bang which attracted the neighbours at about 7 a.m.

Government officials rushed to the scene to evacuate the casualties. Among early callers was the Housing and Urban Development Commissioner, Mr Bade Omoloja.

Omoloja said the building did not have government approval and that on two different occasions officials of his ministry had given a stop work directive to the owner of the building.

The commissioner said: “It is tragic that we just lost two boys and three others are in critical condition due to negligence and stubbornness of designers and engineers. Poor quality materials were used in the building and this occasioned the tragic happening.”

Similarly, Works Commissioner, Gboye Adegbenro attributed the collapse to structural failure, adding that government would set up a committee to forestall a similar occurrence in future.

Also, Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, South-West, Iyiola Akande, and the agency’s Zonal Coordinator, advised the government to maintain adequate supervision of building construction.

Akande said it was not sufficient for government officials to sit down in office and approve without proper monitoring by competent and structural engineers. The state police image maker, Wole Ogodo, described the incident as catastrophic and disturbing, adding that the security personnel have been deployed to the scene to help in the rescue operations.