Five Feared Dead …As Dangote Salt Facility Collapses In PH

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, accompanied by his Deputy, Dr. (Mrs) Ipalibo Harry Banigo (2nd left), Speaker, State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adams Dabotorudima (Left), and others during the official launching of the Pilot Scheme of the “Win A Trip To Israel” (WATTI) organized by Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, Rivers State.

Tragedy struck at the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Port Harcourt Port Complex in Rivers State as Dangote Salt Warehouse collapsed, killing, at least, five persons.
The Tide gathered that the incident occurred on Saturday when some of the workers on overtime duty were at work at the warehouse.
It was also learnt that the number of workers in the warehouse as at the time of the incident could not be ascertained, but some of those who sustained various degrees of injuries are said to be receiving medical attention in an undisclosed hospital.
According to an eye-witness, some of the workers are still being trapped in the rubble, adding that they could only ascertain the number of workers on duty when the salt heap and the debris have been removed.
When our reporter visited the scene of the incident at NPA, some officials of the company were seen discussing about the predicament while a photo journalist and his team, who went to take a shot of the impacted area where seen being interrogated on how they gained entrance into the site and who authorized them to take pictures of the collapsed salt warehouse.
Commenting on the incident, the Zonal Vice President of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Waite Harry, said although they have no oversight function on those factory workers, he argued that on humanitarian ground, the union has stopped all operations at Dangote salt within the NPA premises until today, when its leaders will engage the management of Dangote on the safety of their workers.
Harry said some of the warehouses within the NPA premises are as old as the port itself, and promised that everything would be done to ensure that such incidents does not reoccur.
He however, sympatised with the families of those who lost their lives.

Collins Barasimeye