Tragedy struck in Mgbemena, a Coal Camp suburb of the Enugu State metropolis, as four children of the same parents were killed in a building collapse.

The 44-room apartment was located at the Agric Quarters in Mgbemena, Coal Camp, Enugu North Local Government Area.

The Enugu Capital Territory Development Agency confirmed the incident, describing it as unfortunate.

Chairman of the agency, Mr. Uche Anya, told journalists on Saturday shortly after visiting the scene of the collapse, that the structure was approved for animal husbandry but was converted to residential.

Lamenting that the collapsed building was not suitable for human residence, Anya revealed that the structure has 44 rooms.

“As soon as we got the intelligence, we rushed to the place. Four children died in the episode. It was danger waiting to happen. The construction was irresponsible. The place should never have been occupied by human beings. Go there and see,” he said.

Anya added, “Apparently, they claim that they are doing animal husbandry and poultry there but it turned out that there are 44 rooms that human beings are occupying and there must be a population of over 200 people there.

“The fence line was unacceptable, nobody does that, and unfortunately, the people we lost in that tragedy are innocent children and it is very painful.”

He said that the agency would continue to sensitise the public on the need to live in a more conducive environment to avoid future occurrences of the unfortunate incident.

He vowed that the Compliance unit of the agency under his leadership would ensure that structures erected by landlords and contractors adhere strictly to the approval plan.