From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Many persons are trapped in a four-storey building that collapsed along the Gwarimpa area of Abuja on Thursday morning.
The structure, which is privately owned, is situated along the 6th Avenue in the estate.
As at the time of collapse, the building was a frame structure with columns and suspended slabs with and some block works.
According to the Head, Public Affairs of Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Kenneth Chigelu, preliminary findings revealed that an approval for two floors was granted to the developer but he decided to add an extra floor to the structure.
So far, it’s not certain how many workers have been buried in the rubble as rescue efforts are currently going on to save lives.
Meanwhile, a total of four people have been rescued from the debris at the time of the report.
In a statement, Chigelu said that investigations which are ongoing will reveal immediate and remote causes of the collapse.
At least 61 buildings have collapsed across the Nigerian states in 2022, with Lagos State recording 20, representing 48.7 per cent of the entire cases. according to Building Collapse
According to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, between January and July 2022, Lagos recorded 24 cases of total building collapse, six partial collapses and one impending collapse. Eighty-four Lagosians were killed in building collapse incidents in the last two years.
This year, the FCT seems to take the lead with the incident happening too early.