A woman and a National Youth Service Corps member, who were trapped in a collapsed building in Abuja, have been rescued alive.
Daily Trust reports that a section of the two-story building, formerly known as Halal Hotel and located along Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki Way, Phase 2, Site 2, Kubwa, collapsed around 6 a.m. on Saturday.
The building had been converted to a hospital and later used as a residential apartment with about 45 self-contained rooms.
The last rescued victim, a corps member, was brought out unconscious by officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), FCT Emergency Management Department (FEM), FCT Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, and Nigeria Police Force. The corps member was rushed to Kubwa General Hospital.
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Two other victims, Abdullahi Masud and a female guest, had escaped before the building collapsed and were taken to the hospital. Masud, who was seen at the hospital, recounted how a neighbor had alerted him to a cracked wall near the staircase.
“I later noticed an unfamiliar sound from several parts of the building while I was taking my bath in the morning. I managed to run out naked. I learned that other people were able to escape too, leaving only one lady stranded at the time,” Masud said.
The Acting Director General of FEMD, Mrs. Florence Dawon Wenegieme, stated that the search and rescue efforts would continue until responders reached ground zero.