CALABAR, Nigeria — A hospital building has collapsed in Calabar after a landslide tore away the ground beneath it.
The collapse occurred on Thursday, August 13, 2026, after sustained rainfall worsened erosion around Anansa Road in the Cross River State capital.
The affected facility has been identified as UNICEM Hospital.
Video from the scene showed the building hanging over a deep gully before part of the structure gave way and crashed below.
No deaths or injuries had been officially confirmed by Friday.
The incident has intensified concern over a growing landslide emergency in Calabar, where six people were killed in separate incidents in July.
Landslide Was Already Under Watch
The danger around Anansa Road did not emerge without warning.
On August 3, the Cross River State Police Command specifically identified Anansa Junction Road, between WAPI Junction and the NNS Victory Jetty axis, as one of the city’s landslide-affected areas.
Police urged residents to stay away from the location and warned people against visiting dangerous sites out of curiosity.
The advisory also asked parents to keep children away and encouraged motorists to use alternative routes.
Days later, Cross River Commissioner for Environment Bassey Mensah visited the Anansa landslide site during an inspection of erosion-prone areas.
The state government said the slide had already destroyed property and displaced residents.
Mensah identified heavy rainfall, erosion, excessive loading of vulnerable slopes and human activity among factors contributing to landslides in the area.
He said technical experts would be involved in developing measures to prevent further damage.
Two days after that government inspection, part of the hospital collapsed.
Ground Continues to Shift
The problem extends beyond the hospital itself.
Reports from Anansa Road indicate that the earth is continuing to move and the affected area is expanding towards nearby properties.
Government authorities have begun remedial work intended to stabilise the soil, improve drainage and prevent the gully from spreading.
The continuing movement, however, has raised questions about the safety of buildings close to the slope.
The hospital collapse was captured in dramatic footage that spread widely across social media on Friday.
In one video, the structure could be seen standing at the edge of severely eroded ground. As more soil slipped away, a large section of the building tilted and disappeared into the gully.
Concrete, roofing material and other debris followed.
Calabar Has Recorded Deadly Landslides
The hospital collapse comes after a particularly dangerous period for communities in Calabar.
Five people were killed in Ikot Anwatim in July after prolonged rainfall triggered a landslide that buried houses.
Four of those killed were siblings.
Cross River State Emergency Management Agency officials subsequently visited the community and called for a comprehensive geotechnical assessment of the area.
Less than a week later, another landslide at Edim Otop killed an eight-year-old girl.
Those deaths prompted renewed warnings about homes and other structures built close to unstable slopes.
Emergency officials have advised residents to report cracks in the ground and comply quickly with evacuation instructions when danger is detected.
X Users Question Erosion Control
Footage of the UNICEM Hospital collapse generated widespread reaction on X, with much of the discussion focusing on whether enough was being done to contain erosion in Calabar.
An X user identified as Dacolls1 described the recurring incidents as evidence of an environmental problem requiring professional investigation and questioned whether inadequate erosion control was contributing to the destruction.
Another user, Dr Omolola Anthonia Eddo, reacted to footage of the collapse by expressing concern for anyone who might have been inside the facility.
“Please tell me this is fake!!!” another user, @dojarabbit_, wrote after seeing the video.
Other reactions questioned the engineering and construction decisions around buildings located close to vulnerable slopes.
One user cited by Punch, Northernigbo, argued that investigators should examine the role of the engineers involved.
Those comments reflect public concern, but the cause of the hospital’s structural failure has not been established through an engineering investigation.
There is also no evidence at this stage that defective construction, rather than the loss of supporting soil during the landslide, caused the building to fall.
Authorities Inspect Affected Areas
Cross River’s new Commissioner of Police, Ajo Geoffrey Ordue, inspected landslide-affected areas around Anansa Road and Marina Resort on Friday.
State and security authorities have appealed for calm while work continues around the affected locations.
The government says intervention measures are aimed at reclaiming unstable sections, redirecting surface water and preventing further movement of the soil.
But the collapse of the hospital has placed fresh urgency on those efforts.
With the rainy season continuing, residents living near Anansa Road and other erosion-prone areas face the possibility of additional ground movement.
The immediate concern is now whether nearby buildings can be secured before the next period of heavy rainfall.
