A hospital building in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, has collapsed after a landslide triggered by torrential rainfall, renewing concerns over the growing impact of extreme weather on infrastructure in Nigeria.
The building, identified as UNICEM Hospital, caved in on Thursday, August 13, after hours of heavy rain reportedly destabilised the hillside on which it stood. Dramatic videos shared on social media showed sections of the structure collapsing into a pile of rubble as terrified residents watched from a safe distance.
A Calabar-based pharmacist, Mr. Mekzy, who posted one of the videos on X, said the collapse followed a devastating landslide caused by the downpour.
There was no official confirmation of casualties as of Friday. While eyewitness accounts suggested the incident sparked panic in the area, emergency authorities had yet to verify whether anyone was trapped or injured.
The collapse has once again drawn attention to Calabar’s vulnerability to landslides, flooding and severe erosion during the rainy season. Experts have repeatedly warned that uncontrolled development, inadequate drainage and construction on unstable slopes have heightened the risk of such disasters.
Footage from the scene showed a mass of earth crashing into the hospital complex before the building gave way, leaving behind shattered concrete, twisted steel reinforcement and heaps of debris.
The incident is expected to reignite calls for stricter enforcement of building regulations, particularly in erosion-prone and hillside communities. Urban planning experts have consistently stressed the need for proper geotechnical assessments before construction in environmentally sensitive areas, warning that increasingly intense rainfall linked to climate change is exposing weaknesses in existing infrastructure.
Emergency officials are expected to assess neighbouring structures for possible structural damage, while investigations into the cause of the collapse are anticipated.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Cross River State Government nor emergency management agencies had released a detailed statement on the incident.
The collapse comes as many parts of southern Nigeria continue to experience heavy seasonal rainfall, underscoring the urgent need for improved drainage systems, stronger building oversight and more effective disaster preparedness to reduce the risk of similar incidents.
Watch the video here.
