One worker has died while seven others sustained injuries. This happened after a section of the new Gombe State House of Assembly Complex under construction collapsed on Friday.
According to NAN, the Permanent Secretary of the Gombe State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transportation, Mr Danladi Adamu, confirmed the incident. He released a statement issued in Gombe.
Adamu described the incident as unfortunate and said the collapse affected a section of the cantilevered entrance canopy under construction.
“The incident involved eight workers, where seven sustained injuries and were immediately evacuated for medical attention at the hospital,” he said.
He said five of the injured workers are receiving treatment at the Gombe State Specialist Hospital. Meanwhile, two others are being treated at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe.
“Regrettably, one life was lost,” Adamu added.
The permanent secretary said Governor Inuwa Yahaya had been briefed on the Gombe Assembly collapse. The governor expressed condolences to the family of the deceased worker.
He said Yahaya directed that all injured workers should receive full medical care at the expense of the state government.
Adamu added that the governor also ordered the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transportation to act. In addition, relevant emergency, regulatory and technical agencies must immediately begin safety and accountability procedures.
The governor further directed the contractor and project consultant handling the complex to submit a formal incident report within 24 hours.
Adamu said the formal report would be followed by a preliminary investigation report. This would also include a comprehensive technical report containing findings and recommendations.
He quoted Yahaya as saying that the state government would take appropriate measures. These would be based on the outcome of the investigation and applicable standards.
The permanent secretary said the government remained committed to enforcing safety, quality and engineering standards. This applies in all public infrastructure projects across the state.
The Gombe Assembly collapse has raised fresh concerns over safety compliance at construction sites. This is especially the case on public projects involving workers and government facilities.
