Emergency rescue operatives on Monday recovered the body of a female victim, believed to be a student, from the scene of the collapsed three-storey Elite Five Star Lodge in Amokpala, Oko, Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, while several others sustained injuries.

Rescue officials also confirmed that the body of a young male victim, also believed to be a student, was located beneath the rubble but had yet to be retrieved as search operations continued. The building, which housed students and other occupants, caved in late Sunday night.

A joint rescue team comprising the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency, the Anambra State Fire Service, the Nigeria Police Force, other security agencies, and operatives of the Operation Udo Ga-Achi security outfit remained at the site. Emergency personnel deployed heavy-duty excavators and specialized rescue equipment to remove debris in search of trapped occupants.

Security agencies cordoned off the affected area to prevent interference and ensure unrestricted access for rescue workers, while anxious residents, students, and sympathisers gathered around the site.

The Acting Executive Secretary of SEMA, Ndidi Omega, who confirmed the recovery of the female victim and the location of the trapped male victim, stated that three injured persons had earlier been rescued and taken to the hospital for medical treatment. Omega maintained that rescue operations would continue until every section of the collapsed structure had been thoroughly searched.