Port Harcourt building collapse leaves one dead and several trapped.

A four‑storey building under construction in the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State collapsed, trapping several people beneath the rubble.

The collapse happened on Wednesday morning, just 48 hours after a three‑storey building at the Rumuolumeni axis of Port Harcourt fell.

Eyewitnesses reported that at least seven people were trapped in the collapsed structure, and residents were able to rescue two victims shortly after the incident.

One eyewitness described seeing the head of a trapped victim who was shouting, “my legs, my legs,” but rescue attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.

The same eyewitness also revealed that the site engineer supervising the project was among those trapped under the debris.

A body has been recovered from the rubble.

Security and emergency response agencies have since been mobilised to the scene.

Among those present are the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju; the Commissioner for Urban Development and Physical Planning, Amairigha Edward Hart; officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA); the Fire Service; the Nigerian Red Cross Society; and ambulances from the Ministry of Health.

Oladimeji Taiwo, a carpenter working on the project, claimed that the site engineer had warned workers that the building could collapse on Wednesday morning.

Taiwo, who narrowly escaped the collapse, said he was outside the building when it gave way.

He noted that he had previously observed cracks in the walls of the unfinished structure.

According to him, less than ten minutes after the site engineer issued the warning, the building began to collapse.

Taiwo estimated that between eight and ten people were trapped in the building at the time of the collapse.

He said, “I have spent six months in this place. All what I have is inside here with my phone. I just want to appeal, they should help me and my brothers.”

By Wednesday afternoon, three people had been rescued from the rubble, and rescue teams were continuing efforts to reach the remaining victims trapped beneath the collapsed structure.