No fewer than seven persons including expectant mother are hospitalised and other feared trapped as a hotel suspected to be one of the oldest in Warri, commercial nerve centre of Delta state on Wednesday collapsed for purported structural defects.
The hotel known as Makaval, located off Refinery Road, Effurun, Uviwe Local Government Area of the state caved in Wednesday morning leaving several persons hospitalised and many other reportedly still trapped.
Many of the victims, Bigpenreports learnt are guest of a miracle performing church, MercyLand Delivery Ministry, which deployed two excavators to the scene to rescue trapped victims.
As at Wednesday afternoon, about seven persons including an expectant mother have been rescued by members of the church and some other sympathizers from the collapse building.
Sources said that many of the victims taken to nearby Divine Grace Hospital for medical attention are persons who had visited MercyLand church in search of miracle and deliverance program and had lodged at the hotel for the duration of the church program.
Although it was not clear whether all the victims were guest to the church, local sources said that only seven persons were lodged in the hotel as at the time of incident but another source said that the number could be more as some of the lodgers has companions with them.
A volunteer rescue worker, Akpoguma Davis, a landlord in an adjacent building who witnessed it all said, "At about 3: am my dogs were barking seriously so I came out not knowing they were reacting to the noisy cracks from the first vibration.
"I took torch and went round wondering if there were robbers lurking. After three minuted, this whole wing of the building collapsed. About seven persons have been rescued alive. I heard one woman shouting 'I am MercyLand visitor, help me. We got her out after four hours."
One of the victim, Benjamin Hosu, 51, from Lagos, said, "I and a colleague came to town to execute a project yesterday. We were lodged in the first floor. Around 3.10am, we heard noise and thought they were armed robbers.
"Suddenly, our room went down to the floor. Some rescuers came out with torch lights as we shouted for help. They started breaking in till they got us out. We have been to the hospital, checked and confirmed okay."
As at the time 9:am when our correspondent reached the scene, rescue efforts was still on to pull out a pregnant woman trapped in and could be heard shouting for help. The rescuers got to her by 10am, pulling her out to the waiting arms of her father, a Bayelsan simply identified as Gambia who whisked her away immediately declining press comment.
Gambia's daughter who is said to have been at the hotel for a week in search of miracle to the MercyLand Church was heard shouting; "There is another person in there. I could hear him, but I can't get to him."
Ayo Ameye, another rescuer said, "More persons could still be in there. A man on the other side has been in contact on his phone. The phone probably ran out on battery because we have not been able to hear from him anymore. The line went dead."
None of the hotel staffs present was ready to speak on the situation but most respondents blamed the incident on structural defects in the affected building located in a swampy area.
Akpoguma whose private residence is less than two meters to the walls of the collapsed building stressed need for proper drainage in the area.
"We are calling on the government to come to our rescue for proper drainage to channel flood water in this area. In the immediate, there is urgent need to clear the surrounding debris and do something on the standing structures. They could fall on our building, he stressed.
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