Nigerian school building collapses killing 22 people, Sky News says

[July 13, 2024]  (Reuters) - Twenty-two people were killed after a two-storey school building collapsed in central Nigeria's Plateau state, Sky news reported on Saturday.

A total of 154 people were trapped under the debris, and everyone apart from those who died was rescued and is being treated for injuries in various hospitals, Sky news said citing a police spokesperson.

A view of a collapsed school building belonging to Saint Academy in the Busa Buji community, Plateau state, Nigeria July 12, 2024. REUTERS/Joshua Inusa

Thirty people are still in hospital, Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in a Facebook post, adding that rescue efforts had ended and the site cleared.

The two-story building, belonging to Saint Academy in the Busa Buji community of Jos north district in the state, collapsed during school hours around 0730 GMT.

Building collapses are frequent in Africa's most populous country due to lax safety regulations and often substandard construction materials.

(Reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Miral Fahmy)

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