Authorities have confirmed that 22 students lost their lives when a two-storey educational institution, known as Saints Academy college, crumbled in the Busa Buji area of Plateau state, Nigeria. Following the incident, which occurred as students, a majority under the age of 15, were arriving for their lessons, a total of 154 were trapped amidst the wreckage. While 132 were saved and received medical treatment in several hospitals, sadly, 22 were not so lucky. Plateau police representative Alfred Alabo confirmed the numbers.
The National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria disclosed that a combination of rescue personnel, medical staff, and security forces were rapidly dispatched to the site. To enhance fast medical intervention, the government directed that hospitals should focus on treatment first, foregoing payment and paperwork, as proclaimed by Musa Ashoms, Plateau state’s information commissioner.
The state administration identified the root cause of the calamity as the school’s precarious location near a riverbank and its overall feeble structure. Schools confronted with similar issues were advised to suspend operations. As rescue operations were ongoing, local villagers congregated around the disaster site, many saddened and others offering assistance.
Over the past two years, the incidence of building collapses has grown alarmingly in Nigeria, Africa’s most densely populated nation, with more than ten instances documented. Typically, such calamities are attributed to the lack of adherence to building safety guidelines and poor maintenance by the relevant authorities.