In a tragic incident on Friday, at least 17 students have been confirmed dead, and many others hospitalized, following the collapse of a two-storey school building in Plateau State.
The Saint Academy building, located in the Busa Buji community of Plateau State, collapsed around 8:30 am, trapping approximately 120 students inside.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reported that the collapse led to a significant search and rescue operation. Over 40 students were rescued from the rubble and transported to various hospitals, including Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos University Teaching Hospital, and AG Hospital.
“The operation has now ended, with the site cleared and secured. Some students have been treated and discharged, while 30 remain hospitalized, with two in intensive care. Unfortunately, some students lost their lives, but the exact number of deaths is still being confirmed,” NEMA stated.
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State Commissioner for Information, Musa Ashoms, expressed the Plateau State Government’s deep sadness over the tragic incident, highlighting the weak structure of the school and its unsafe location near a riverbank as contributing factors. Ashoms praised the efforts of NEMA, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the Red Cross, and security agencies in rescuing trapped students and transporting them to hospitals.
Sunday Àbdu, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, confirmed to The Punch that 17 people had died due to the collapse. He noted that casualty figures were still changing, with 13 bodies and 43 people receiving medical attention at Bingham University Teaching Hospital, over 40 individuals receiving care at OLA Specialist Hospital, and four bodies with 40 people being treated at Plateau Specialist Hospital. Additional casualties were evacuated to Jos University Teaching Hospital, though the exact numbers were not immediately available.