At least one person has been confirmed dead, two trapped and four rescued from a collapsed shopping mall in Kubwa, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The mall, which is under construction, crumbled on Thursday night.
It was gathered that about six workers and a security guard were within the premises of the mall when the incident occurred around 11 pm.
So far, four of the victims have been rescued with varying degrees of injury by officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) searching the ruins for one other person reportedly stuck in the building.
“Sadly, around 11 p.m. yesterday, we got a call that a building had collapsed and we rushed here to commence evacuation. It is very painful. The building was approved as a shopping mall, after the approval, the owner started altering it.
“The owner added some blocks to it, that is why the load became very heavy,” Ikharo Attah, an aide to the FCT Minister, informed.
He said the building was a two-storey building that had fallen flat and had been completed but the tiling work was ongoing before the incident.
Attah, who is also the chairman of FCT Minister’s task force team, said his office will commence testing on the collapsed building and others in the area to ascertain the quality of materials used.
Afeez Olayinka, who was almost covered by the rubble, was among the three lucky victims that merely suffered minor injuries.
Olayinka, an artisan, was awake when the building collapsed.
He said he and one other person were within the building but not at the innermost part of it when the incident happened.
“The thing happened around 11:00, in the night, we went inside to sleep already when the building collapsed. We were seven in number in the building. Five were already asleep while two of us were still working in the compound.
“When the thing happened, I noticed that the thing did not press me down much. So, I escaped with the other person. When I stood up from where I was, I saw a light through an opening, and I traced it till I got out.
Later on, we started hearing people’s voices,” he told reporters as FCDA officials continued to curb the rubble for the remaining two victims.
Umar Shuaib, Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), blamed the incident on quackery and shady construction, adding that the FCTA has a policy of subjecting old buildings to integrity tests.
The Minister of State FCT, Dr Ramatu Aliyu, has commiserated with families affected by the Kubwa building collapse.
Aliyu, while wishing the injured speedy recovery, prayed for the repose of persons who died in the unfortunate incident.
The Minister made the remarks while visiting the site of the collapse in Kubwa, even as she thanked the first responders and institutions of the FCT Administration for their tireless work in rescuing those that survived.
“I want to say that it was with a very heavy heart that we at the FCT Administration received this sad news and for those in the hospital, we wish them a very quick recovery.
“So far, this is the last recovered body, and he has been confirmed dead. We are still waiting to hear from the National Hospital. There were five cases, two have been discharged, and three others are still receiving treatment. May the Lord give the families the fortitude to bear the loss.
“We want to appreciate the emergency units of the Federal Capital Territory Administration who have put their hands on deck, including the residents of the area who have been up since 1:00am trying to determine who is alive.
“The building was at the tiling stage and we have here the companies and agencies of government such as ZEBERCED, S&M, SCC, NEMA, FERMA of the FCT, Fire Service, Police, Development Control, DSS, Road Safety and Directors of all agencies that kept fit and hope alive in search of persons that may be alive”.
The Nation
