Building collapse in Abuja: Nine people evacuated; rescue efforts are hold

The Federal Fire Service has announced that rescue efforts at the scene of the four-story building that collapsed at Dape in Life Camp, Abuja, will pick back up on Tuesday at 8 a.m.

At the accident site, Mr. Emeribe David, a Superintendent of Fire, told the News Agency of Nigeria that all the concerned agencies had agreed to resume the rescue effort on Tuesday morning.

According to NAN, the building, which was reportedly a hotel that was under construction, fell on Monday at 4 p.m., trapping an unknown number of laborers.

The fire department received a distress call at around 4 o’clock, according to David, who led the team of firefighters to the scene. It took them around 15 minutes to arrive.

He claimed that his crew collaborated with other organizations in efforts to rescue those who were entangled in the rubble.

He named some of the organizations, including the Federal Road Safety Corps, National Emergency Management Agency, and security organizations.

“Immediately the Fire Service received the call, we were deployed to the scene with a fire truck and ambulance crew to see what we can salvage.

“We do not know the number of people that were trapped, but we will figure that out when we continue the operations in the morning,” he said.

Dr. Abass Idris, the Director-General of FEMA, had informed press that nine people had been saved as of 7:44 p.m.

The authorities participating in the operation shuttered the location around 10 pm, according to a NAN correspondent who was present, and security personnel were sent in to secure the area.