NEMA coordinates Enugu building collapse rescue

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, is coordinating rescue operations following the collapse of a four-storey uncompleted building at Independence Layout, Enugu State.

The incident occurred at about 6 a.m. on Sunday, September 13, 2026, prompting the Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, to direct the agency’s Enugu Operations Office to deploy an Emergency Rescue Team to the scene and coordinate the response with relevant stakeholders.

NEMA, in a statement issued on Sunday by its Press Unit spokesman, Manzo Ezekiel, said the rescue team was informed on arrival that some persons were trapped beneath the rubble.

The agency said the team immediately commenced search and rescue operations, while an excavator was mobilised to assist in the careful removal of debris.

As of 11:20 a.m., the joint rescue team had recovered the lifeless body of one male victim from the collapsed structure.

Rescue operations were still ongoing as of the time of the statement, with emergency responders searching through the debris to determine whether other victims remained trapped.

The operation is being coordinated by NEMA in collaboration with the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA; Nigeria Police Force; Enugu State Fire and Rescue Service; Enugu State Capital Territory Development Authority; and the Enugu State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.