By Dave Okpogadie, Asaba
One person has been reportedly killed and three others were seriously injured at the Anwai Campus of the Delta State University (DELSU) when a concrete slab of a lecture hall under construction collapsed.
It was learnt that one of the workers had stepped on the concrete slab at the ongoing lecture hall building and suddenly collapsed killing the victim who was under it.
It was also gathered that the concrete slab was not dried at the time the incident happened leading to the collapse of the section on the unidentified worker who was scooping sand beneath.
The incident, it was learnt, sent panic around the institution as students and lecturers alike scampered for safety. The fear,however, temporarily disrupted academic activities at the campus while students were mobilising for protest when they discovered that it was a building collapse, and were promptly dissuaded by a concerted effort of anti riot policemen drafted to the campus to maintain law and order.
The Commissioner for Higher Education, Professor Patrick Muoboghare, who immediately visited the scene, expressed sadness over the death of the worker and the injured.
Muoboghare said the family of the deceased had been contacted on the sad incident, adding that the injured were receiving treatment at a hospital in the state capital.
He explained further that it had nothing to do with the integrity of the building as the building was intact. He noted that the concrete slab was not dry when a worker mistakenly stepped on it while carrying load.
“You know when you are setting blocks, it must be allowed to dry. This has nothing to do with the integrity of the building, as the building is intact.”
