unfaulty - School building collapses in Nigeria - at least 22 dead
Emergency services are desperately searching for survivors after the collapse of a two-story school building in Nigeria. The Nigerian Red Cross announced on the X platform that 73 more people were rescued up until Saturday afternoon. The Nigerian authorities had announced on Friday evening that at least 22 people had died in the collapse in the Plateau State, mostly schoolgirls and boys.
The exact number of casualties is still unknown. The Plateau State government declared a three-day mourning period for the victims of the accident. The immediate closure of the school was also ordered.
Over 200 injured people rescued
The injured were taken to hospitals with various injuries. The search for a child and a teacher is ongoing. 132 injured were rescued in the evening. As confirmed by the Information and Communication Officer of the Plateau Central State, Musa Ibrahim Ashoms, the incident occurred during school hours at the Saint Academy Secondary School in the city of Jos. According to reports, around 200 schoolgirls and boys were in the collapsed part of the building.
The collapse of the two-story building occurred after days of heavy rainfall in the region. The authorities have announced an investigation into the exact causes of the collapse.
In recent years, there have been several larger building collapses in Nigeria resulting in many fatalities. Most of these can be attributed to poor construction, substandard materials, and corruption.
The uncertainty surrounding the total number of casualties adds to the urgency of the rescue efforts. The Red Cross is actively involved in the rescue operations, aiming to minimize the impact of the accident on the children and their families. The collapse of the school building has brought the issue of safety in Nigerian schools back into the spotlight. Despite the rescue efforts, the horror of accidents like this continues to haunt Abuja and other parts of Nigeria. The authorities hope that the investigation into the collapse will help prevent similar accidents in the future. The impact of the building collapse on the educational system in Plateau State is yet to be fully understood.
