On Saturday, Sky News reported that 22 people died following the collapse of a two-story school building in Plateau State, central Nigeria.
According to a police spokesperson, 154 people were trapped under the rubble. Survivors have been rescued and are receiving treatment for injuries in various hospitals.
The Nigerian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) stated in a Facebook post that 30 people remain hospitalized. The rescue efforts have concluded, and the site has been cleared.
The building, part of St. Academy School in the Busa Buji neighborhood of Jos North, collapsed during school hours at approximately 07:30 GMT.
Dozens of villagers gathered near the school, some in tears while others offered assistance. Excavators sifted through the debris of the collapsed section. A woman was seen crying and trying to approach the rubble but was held back by others.
NEMA reported that rescue workers, healthcare personnel, and security forces were immediately deployed to the scene after the collapse to begin the search for trapped students.
Musa Ashoms, Plateau State’s Commissioner for Information, stated that the government had instructed hospitals to prioritize treating the injured without requiring documentation or fees to ensure rapid medical care.
The government attributed the tragedy to “poor construction and the building’s location near a riverbank.” It urged other schools facing similar issues to close.
Building collapses are common in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, due to lax enforcement of construction regulations and the frequent use of substandard building materials.
