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UPDATE: 18 Persons Rescued, Other Workers Still Trapped In Abuja Collapsed Building

UPDATE: 18 Persons Rescued, Other Workers Still Trapped In Abuja Collapsed Building
February 2, 2023

He said the priority for now was to save lives of those who were trapped under the rubble and not to apportion blame.

About 18 people have been pulled out from the rubble of the collapsed two-storey building under construction at the 7th Avenue, Gwarinpa, Abuja.

The building gave way in the early hours of Thursday when some labourers resumed work on the site.

The Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Umar Shuaibu confirmed this while addressing journalists at the scene of the incident.

He said the priority for now was to save lives of those who were trapped under the rubble and not to apportion blame.

According to him "When we have collapsed buildings like this, we don't apportion blame. Our first engagement is to make sure that we rescue lives. As you can see, the people we have rescued. At least we have brought out no less than 18 people out of this building and still there are people still trapped.

"However at the end of the exercise, all the buildings here would be subjected to integrity tests to make sure all the buildings that are around this area are sound but if not, we will stop whatever development that is there. If it is soldiers, we will bring them down here.”

At the time of this report, about five excavators are currently working at the site of the collapsed building.

Some of the trapped victims have been making calls through their mobile phones to confirm their locations.

The rescue operation is being carried out by a joint team which includes; National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), FCT Fire Service, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the Nigerian police, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Julius Berger Nigeria.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that over 50 people were trapped in the ill- fated building while two persons lost their lives.