Abuja Building Collapse Update: 21 Rescued, 3 Fatally Injured as Search & Rescue Continues
By: Prudence Okonna
As at Friday morning, 21 persons have been rescued alive, while three others were removed from the rubble fatally injured from the collapsed 3-storey building at 4th Avenue, Gwarimpa II District, Abuja.
The building under construction went down at about 11 am on Thursday, trapping onsite an unspecified number of construction workers as the search and rescue for persons trapped in the rubble have entered a second day.
In a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs, FCT Emergency Management Agency, Nkechi Isa, a rescue team comprising FEMA, NEMA, Red Cross, Nigeria Police, Civil Defence Corp, FRSC, Federal fire service, FCT Fire Service, and some construction companies were on the ground to comb for victims.
The statement revealed that during a visit to the site of the incident on Thursday evening, the FCT Minister, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello commiserated with the families of the victims and residents of the FCT over the unfortunate incident
Represented by the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority, (FCDA), Engr. Shehu Hadi Ahmad, the Minister said,” This is coming at a time when we are all trying as a nation to come out of this worrisome situation of building collapse. These are issues that the FCT environment was not prominent with, but because of some activities of quackery, this has come into the FCT and the FCT is not too happy with these happenings. “
The Minister noted that this was the third of such an incidents in Gwarinpa Estate. He stated that the FCTA will stop at no limit to identify those involved in the unfortunate development.
“Preliminary report indicates that the land area where this property was standing on doesn’t look well and stabilized. There is the presumption of inferior materials in the construction and workmanship.
To this, the FCTA will take this very seriously and engage the agencies involved to find a lasting solution to this type of embarrassment. “
Also speaking the Director General of the FCT Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Dr. Abbas Idriss commended all the emergency workers and stakeholders involved in the rescue efforts. He said it was a successful exercise involving both the security and the media had given their best in ensuring the rescue operations went smoothly.
“The operation will continue until we reach ground zero to be sure that all the victims have been rescued “, he emphasized.
He also called on the residents of the FCT to report any act of sharpness and compromise, especially in the construction sites, to the relevant authorities to save lives and properties through the emergency toll-free number, 112 for a prompt response.
