Bambili: Four-storey residential building collapses

The incident, which has been blamed on the use of poor building material, did not result in the loss of any life.

A 60-room four-storey building under construction in the student residential area of Bambili in Tubah Sub-division, Mezam Division of the North West Region, recently collapsed with no loss of life. The incident, which occurred on July 19, 2015, has been blamed on the use of poor and cheap building construction material.

The structure, which was intended to serve as a lodging facility for the ever-growing student population of the University of Bamenda and other colleges in Bambili, is said not to have respected building norms.

According to an eye witness, Augustine Fuli, who is also a neighbour to the collapsed building, it was around 9 am on Sunday morning when he heard a frightful noise. On rushing out, he discovered that it was the storey building that was collapsing. He said despite the rain that was falling at the time, people heard the noise and fled before the structure came down.

After visiting the site, the Mezam Divisional Delegate for Housing and Urban Development, Roger Likane, said the sand and other building material used were of poor quality.

Meanwhile, neighbours to the collapsed building are thanking God that the incident happened on a Sunday morning when the builders were not around; wondering what would happened if it was otherwise. According to the Mayor of Tubah Council, Tanjong Martin, the building was erected so fast, just like others in Bambili.

He said the builders were in a haste to finish the house before the start of next academic year. Consequently, they worked night and day to attain their goal. He acknowledged that the construction went on without any building permit.

Given that the population in Bambili is growing fast since the creation of the university, Mayor Tanjong Martin said he has been working with stakeholders to ensure that they use proper material to avoid such occurrences. He disclosed that his office is presently in court with some illegal property developers in bid to instill order in the sector.