Four people have been rescued from a collapsed two-storey residential apartment in Kubwa, Abuja’s largest suburban town, on Saturday morning.
The collapse happened around 6:30 a.m., trapping several people under the rubble. Professional rescuers arrived at the scene at 9:15 a.m., nearly three hours after the incident. The Federal Fire Service personnel were the first responders, and they tried to activate other emergency and security services.
The building, located beside Cupid Hotel on Cupid Road (Sultan Dasuki Way), Phase 2, Site 2 in Kubwa, was once a hotel named Al-Halal, then became a hospital, and was recently used as a residential apartment with about 45 self-contained rooms.
Two people were initially rescued and rushed to a nearby hospital. Many others escaped on their own, including a lady who moved out the day before and some who went out for early morning exercises.
One escapee, who did not want to reveal her identity, said, “I woke up some minutes before 7 a.m. and came out of my section of the building. I began hearing some cracks and then ran out.”
Most of those who escaped were on the upper floors, while those on the ground floor were largely trapped.
The incident took a dramatic turn when some occupants mentioned that a female resident was still in her room as her boyfriend fled at the first signs of the cracks. She was later rescued by emergency responders and treated for some bruises.
The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department (FEMD) was notified of the incident by passersby and received a distress call on the 112 emergency toll-free number at about 6:45 a.m.
Nkechi Isa, Head of Public Affairs at FEMD, said, “Two of the four rescued victims were immediately taken to the Kubwa General Hospital. Efforts are ongoing to search for any other person that may be trapped in the collapsed building.”
Acting Director General of FEMD, Mrs. Florence Dawon Wenegieme, who was also at the scene, stated, “Search and rescue efforts will continue until the last person is removed, if at all there is still someone trapped in the rubble.”
She appealed to developers to follow the building code strictly and avoid using substandard materials.
