A two-storey building under construction collapsed in Jikwoyi, Abuja Municipal Area Council, on Friday, leaving six persons injured and raising fears that workers may still be trapped under the rubble.
The building caved in around 11 a.m. while workers were on site, triggering an emergency response from multiple agencies.
The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department said in a statement by its Head of Public Affairs, Nkechi Isa, that rescue operations are ongoing to ensure no one remains trapped.
“Rescue efforts are ongoing to ensure no person is trapped in the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jikwoyi, Abuja Municipal Area Council of the FCT,” the agency stated.
According to FEMD, 17 workers were on the upper floor of the structure at the time of the incident.
“FEMD Search and Rescue Team say that 17 workers were on the upper floor of the building when it collapsed, injuring five workers and trapping a lone male who was at the ground level of the building,” the statement added.
The injured workers, along with the rescued male, were taken to the Sisters of Nativity Hospital in Jikwoyi, where they are said to be responding to treatment.
Authorities said excavation at the site is “still ongoing until ground zero to ensure that no person is trapped in the rubble.”
Emergency responders at the scene include FEMD, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Development Control, the Federal Capital Development Authority’s Engineering Department, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Federal Fire Service, and the FCT Police Command.
In a separate incident on Friday, a fire outbreak engulfed part of a car sales and service centre along the Kubwa Expressway in the Bwari Area Council. The fire at the Car Earloha Chery Centre at Arab Junction, Kubwa, which occurred around 12 noon, was caused by an electrical fault. No lives were lost, but a section of the building was completely razed, destroying equipment and documents.
