21 Workers Rescued Alive In Abuja Collapsed 3-Story Building

Search and rescue operations at collapsed 3-storey building on 4th Avenue in Gwarimpa , a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have entered a second day.

The building which was under construction went down at about 11am on Thursday, trapping an unspecified number of construction workers.

An update on the rescue operations revealed that as at Friday morning, 21 persons had been rescued alive, while 3 others were removed from the rubble fatally injured.

A rescue team comprising of the personnel of Federal Capital Emergency Management Agency, (FEMA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Red Cross Nigeria, the Police, Civil Defence Corp, the Federal Road Safety, (FRSC), Federal Fire Service and FCT Fire Service as well as construction companies are on  ground to comb for victims.

During a visit to the site of the incident on Thursday evening, the Minister of FCT, Malam Mohammed 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. This an issue which the FCT environment was not known with, but because of some activities of quackery, this has come into the FCT and we are not happy with this happening”.

He  noted that this was the third of such incidents in Gwarinpa Estate, stressing that that FCTA would 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 very seriously and engage the agencies involved to find a lasting solution to this type of embarrassment”, he said.

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 that it was a successful exercise in which both the security and the media had given their best in ensuring the rescue operations went smoothly.

According to him, the operation will continue until we reach ground zero to be sure that all the victims have been rescued.

Idriss also called on the residents of the FCT to report any act of sharpness and compromises, especially in the construction sites, to the relevant authorities to save lives and properties.

Such reports could be done through the emergency toll-free number 112 for a prompt response.