The University of Benin (UNIBEN) student community of Ekosodin is home to many other students. Akpodeh Oseoghene, a survivor of the building that collapsed, has described her experiences under the wreckage of the structure.
Akpodeh, a recent graduate of the university’s Department of Science Laboratory, claimed to have seen death and expressed gratitude to God for saving her life during the catastrophe.
She claimed that on Saturday morning, during the rainy spell, the room she shared with Akpordoghor Oghenefega, a fellow student, in the house behind the main structure, flooded.
“We were surprised when our room flooded during the rain, so we tried to move our belongings to higher platforms,” she stated.
However, the main building fell while they were doing it, which had an impact on the bungalow. That caused additional water to enter our room, the glass door to break, and my roommate—who is also receiving treatment at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital—to get hurt.
“We noticed a small gap, which we used to enter and reach safety. The building may have collapsed due to the flood. There was a lot. When the main building collapsed, we were even attempting to bail the water.”
“He is having therapy at UBTH as well. Of the four of us involved in the incident, he was the most injured.
According to a recent UNIBEN graduate who also resided in the adjacent building, the tragedy occurred during the rainy season between 7:30 and 8:00 am, and the collapse was caused by floods.
“The rain started around 4 a.m. and became intense at about 7 a.m.,” he stated.The entire street, as well as some of the houses, particularly those with low foundations, were submerged in water.We sealed our gate after the flood destroyed it, allowing water to enter our rooms even though my house was also inundated.
“While we were trying to salvage our belongings, I had a loud noise only to find out that the building had collapsed, damaging our fence and a room.”
According to the Edo State Government and UNIBEN administration, every victim was saved alive and in stable condition.
