JOS: At least 21 students have been killed and 69 others trapped under the debris when a school in central Nigeria collapsed on Friday, according to a rescue agency and witnesses.
Parents anxiously searched for their children at Saint Academy in the Jos North district of Plateau State after the building collapsed while students were taking exams, reported an AFP correspondent on the scene.
“The collapse occurred at a two-storey building housing Saint Academy in Busa Buji, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, resulting in fatalities among the students,” stated the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
“NEMA and other key stakeholders are currently engaged in search and rescue operations,” the statement added.
It was not clear immediately what caused the collapse but residents said it came after three days of heavy rains in Plateau.
Building collapses are quite common in Africa’s most populous country because of lax enforcement of building standards, use of low-quality materials and negligence.
