Several students have perished following the collapse of a School building at Saint Academy, Busa Buji community of Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State.
The ugly incident occurred on Friday morning when students were writing exams.
Eyewitnesses reported that the sudden collapse of the structure led to panic, as students were caught under the debris during the examination period.
Immediate rescue efforts were mobilized to aid the trapped students, with emergency teams, including security personnel from the Nigerian Police and Army, swiftly arriving at the scene to coordinate the rescue operations.
In a video obtained by DAILY GIST, mechanical diggers were seen trying to rescue the victims while parents desperately looked for their children.
As of now, the number of students affected and the cause of the collapse remain unclear, but AFP reported that at least, 21 persons have died from the incident.
It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse but residents said it came after three days of heavy rains in Plateau
The National Emergency Management Agency said the two-story building housing Saint Academy collapsed killing “several students” without giving details.
“NEMA and other critical stakeholders are presently carrying out Search and Rescue operations,” it said.
The Plateau Commissioner for Information and Communication, Musa Ashoms, has confirmed that about 200 students were trapped in the Jos school building that collapsed in Jos.
Ashoms, who visited the scene in the company of other commissioners, including that of secondary education, said that the school had a total population of about 400.
The commissioner said that part of the school that collapsed was accommodating about 200 students.
“The collapsed building has resulted in casualties, and injured students are still being evacuated to hospitals.
“We cannot however, ascertain the exact number of casualties until the evacuation is completed
“The emergency workers are doing a lot in the rescue efforts.
The Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has urged the medical personnel in the hospitals to ensure that they save the lives of survivors.
“They should not ask for money or anything because this is an emergency situation,” he said.
The commissioner, however, said that the incident underscored the imperative of order 003 of the state government, which was meant to enforce the implementation of the Greater Jos Master Plan, to prevent such unfortunate incidences.
According to him, the collapsed school building, which was built in a waterlogged area, clearly did not meet construction standards.
Ashoms said that the Jos Metropolitan Development Board would ensure that faulty buildings were brought down, while ongoing constructions would henceforth conform to standards.
WATCH VIDEO HERE
