Two people are still trapped in the rubbles of the collapsed building in Abuja yesterday, it was learnt.
A spokesman of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Josie Mudasiru, said search and rescue work was on.
Six labourers were pulled out when a section of a hotel under construction collapsed about 1.45 am on Sunday.
The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, directed the Development Control Department of the FCT Administration to take responsibility for building plan approvals and construction supervision in accordance with extant regulations.
In a statement by Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary Muhammad Sule, the minister said in line with Section 7, (1-3) of the FCT Act of 1976 and Part II, Section 27-41 of the Nigeria Urban and Regional Planning Law of 1992, amended in 1999, no person or body can carry out any development within the FCT without the written approval of the FCT Department of Development Control.
Bello said the department should ensure that the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), which approved and was supervising the collapsed building, and other stakeholders, adhere to regulations on property development.
He added that the FCT Administration will no longer ignore construction of buildings on flood plains, and will take measures to correct the anomalies.
While sympathising with the victims, the minister said human lives often lost in such tragedies could be avoided if regulations were followed.
He said his administration would not watch the wanton waste of lives; stressing that human life is sacred and must be protected.
Minister of Works, Power and Housing Babatunde Fashola, who visited the site yesterday, said investigation has begun to ascertain the causes of the collapse to forestall a recurrence.
Fashola, who noted that the accident could be as a result of poor quality control, lack of professionalism, negligence of duty, said the ministry would wait for the result of the investigation.
“Investigations have begun to get to the root of what caused the collapse but clearly, something failed somewhere
“It is important that we visit the site, search and rescue operations are still on and it is believed that some people are still trapped inside,” he said.
