At least 16 people were killed on Friday when a Saint Academy school in central Nigeria collapsed while students were taking exams, trapping many under the rubble, AFP reported.
AFP reporters saw five bodies in one hospital morgue and 11 in another, the news agency reported. reportAll of the dead were wearing school uniforms, according to AFP news agency. (Related: Massive fire in Russia leaves two dead after jumping from high-rise office window, eight dead: reports)
“Children trapped under rubble could be heard crying for help as excavators worked to free victims while parents desperately searched for their children,” CBS News tweeted along with video of the collapsed building.
At least 16 students were killed when a school collapsed during exams in Nigeria's Plateau state on Friday. Children trapped under the rubble could be heard crying for help, excavators tried to free the victims and parents frantically searched for their children. pic.twitter.com/kMvLuAIHMK
—CBS News (@CBSNews) July 12, 2024
The video shows people crowding around the collapsed school, parts of which appear to still be standing. People can be seen digging in and around the rubble with shovels, pickaxes and other tools. Subtitles on the video say it is unclear what caused the sudden collapse. Locals say it happened “after three days of heavy rain.”
Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Twitter that “more than 40 trapped students” had been rescued from the rubble and were hospitalized.
Josville Collapse Update
In Jos, a two-storey building collapsed, triggering a search and rescue operation coordinated by NEMA. Over 40 trapped students were rescued and shifted to various hospitals, including Bingham University Teaching Hospital and Plateau Specialist Hospital. pic.twitter.com/ongmQJryCT
— NEMA Nigeria (@nemanigeria) July 12, 2024
” [search and rescue] “The operation has concluded and the site has been cleaned and made safe. Some students have been treated and released from hospital, while 30 remain hospitalised and two are in intensive care,” NEMA tweeted.
Jos University Teaching Hospital and AG Hospital. Operations have been completed and the site has been cleaned and made safe. Some students have been treated and released, but 30 remain hospitalized, with two in intensive care.
— NEMA Nigeria (@nemanigeria) July 12, 2024
NEMA acknowledged that “several students lost their lives” but did not provide official figures or estimates.
Sadly, several students lost their lives, but the exact death toll is still being confirmed.
— NEMA Nigeria (@nemanigeria) July 12, 2024
“I had barely entered the classroom for five minutes when I heard the noise and the next thing I knew I was here,” Uriya Ibrahim, a student who was hospitalised after the incident, told AFP. “There were a lot of people in my class and we were taking an exam.”
