A worker has died while seven others sustained varying degrees of injuries after a section of the new Gombe State House of Assembly complex under construction collapsed on Friday.
The Gombe State Government confirmed that the incident occurred when a cantilevered entrance canopy at the project site suddenly gave way, trapping eight workers.
In a statement issued by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transportation, Danladi Adamu, the government said all eight affected workers were immediately rescued, with seven taken to hospital for treatment. Five of the injured are receiving care at the Gombe State Specialist Hospital, while two others are being treated at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe. One worker, however, died from injuries sustained in the collapse.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, the government said Governor Inuwa Yahaya has been fully briefed and extended his condolences to the family of the deceased. The governor also directed that all injured workers receive comprehensive medical treatment at the government’s expense.
Yahaya further instructed the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transportation, alongside relevant emergency, regulatory and technical agencies, to immediately activate all established safety and accountability procedures to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
As part of the investigation, the contractor and project consultant handling the project have been ordered to submit a formal incident report within 24 hours. The government said this would be followed by a preliminary investigation and a comprehensive technical report detailing the cause of the collapse and recommendations to prevent similar incidents.
The new Gombe State House of Assembly complex is one of the flagship infrastructure projects of the Governor Inuwa Yahaya administration. Authorities have assured the public that a thorough investigation will be conducted to establish the cause of the structural failure and ensure accountability.
