Two construction workers died while another person was seriously injured when a section of the old fence of Kwara Hotels collapsed.
Our correspondent learnt that the incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon during active construction work at the hotel’s site, located in the GRA area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The facility, once a symbol of the state’s thriving hospitality industry, is currently undergoing a face-lift as part of the government’s infrastructure renewal drive.
PUNCH Metro gathered on Wednesday that the three victims were rushed to a private hospital on Unity Road (now Wahab Folawiyo Road) where two of them were pronounced dead while one who survived was being given intensive medical care at a hospital.
An eyewitness near the site who did not want her name in print described the moment of the collapse as sudden and horrifying.
“I was nearby selling when I suddenly heard a loud blast. It sounded like a bomb. People started shouting and running away from the site. It was terrifying,” she narrated.
According to her, several passersby initially thought an explosion had occurred until the true nature of the incident became clearer moments later, as emergency responders began arriving at the scene.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Mallam Rafiu Ajakaye, described the incident as deeply distressing.
Ajakaye, who declined to respond to an enquiry by our correspondent on the issue, referred PUNCH Metro to the contractor handling the renovation. He, however, confirmed the incident to some media organisations including Diamond FM 88.7 Radio and African News, which our correspondent monitored.
Ajakaye said, “It is quite saddening. Yesterday (Tuesday), part of the structure under renovation gave way. Three workers on duty were badly injured. One of them made it, but the remaining two didn’t survive despite first aid and emergency attention at the nearest hospital.
“Their families have since been contacted, according to the facility managers,” Ajakaye told the media organisations.
He, however, did not reveal the identity of the victims.
However, when PUNCH Metro visited the site of the hotel on Wednesday afternoon, the premises had been fully barricaded and heavily guarded by police and private security operatives. Access to the area was tightly restricted, and no construction workers were seen within the premises.
Security personnel on duty declined to speak or offer updates on the situation, referring enquiries to the state government and project management firm.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the construction company handling the project nor the consulting engineers had released an official statement regarding the cause of the collapse.
Kwara Hotels Limited was being renovated at a cost of N17.8bn and was awarded to Craneburg Construction Company in October 2023 with the renovation work to last for 24 months.
Credit: punchng.com
