Ayomidele Oluwasusi
Abuja – No fewer than four persons were rescued after a two-storey residential building collapsed in the Kubwa area of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.
The building, located in Phase Two, Site Two, in the Kubwa area reportedly collapsed on Saturday morning.
In an initial video published on X by state broadcaster, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), a voice was heard saying, “There are about three ladies stuck. They have extracted two, and they are trying to extract the third person from a particular flat.”
An eyewitness, Amaka Agha, said: “This morning at about 7am, that’s when we heard that rumbling sound so I thought it was from my next compound so we rushed out, only for me to rush out and I heard commotion. I went to the front and saw that the building had collapsed. Coming to the backyard of my house and everything had already come down.
“They’ve been trying to rescue people, they’ve called FERMA, Fire service, they have rescued some people, they are still trying to rescue others.”
Another eyewitness, Ella Onyeke, reported that a resident of the building had noticed a crack in the structure on Friday and had vacated the premises with his family.
“Yesterday, a man who is living in that building left there yesterday saying he noticed a crack, so he left with his family,” Onyeke said.
“5am this morning, some people that are living there said the building started shifting. Some of them left and they tried to notify others who were living there.”
However, the Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department (FEMD), revealed that four persons have been rescued alive from the rubble.
The acting Director-General, FEMD, Florence Wenegieme, disclosed this in a statement.
Ms Wenegieme explained that the collapsed building contained 45 self-contained rooms, adding that it was previously used as a hotel before it was converted for residential purposes.
She said that two of the rescued victims had been taken to the Kubwa General Hospital and were currently receiving treatment.
“Search and rescue efforts are ongoing until the last person is removed, if at all there is still someone trapped in the rubbles.”
The acting director-general said that other agencies at the scene included the National Emergency Management Agency, FCT Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps and the Nigeria Police.
Ms Wenegieme appealed to developers to strictly follow the building code and avoid the use of substandard materials to avert the incessant building collapse in the FCT.
This comes a day after a two-storey school building collapsed in the north-central Plateau State.
The school, Saint Academy located at the Busa Buji community in Jos North Local Government Area of the state collapsed on Friday morning around 8:30 am when while students were taking their third-term examinations.
The state Commissioner for Information and communication, Hon Musa Ashom, said in a statement: “Current Situation as of 6:00 pm Friday evening, 154 people have been rescued from the debris. Sadly, 22 individuals have been confirmed deceased.
“Injured students and staff are receiving medical treatment at various hospitals across Jos.”
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