Children killed in Nigeria school collapse

Several children have died after a school building collapsed in Nigeria’s Plateau state, local officials say.

The Saints Academy, located in the Jos North area, collapsed on Friday morning while students were in class.

According to AFP, trapped students shouted for help from under the rubble as parents frantically searched for their children.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) did not confirm the number of casualties but said “several students” were killed. AFP reported that at least 16 students had died.

The school is believed to have over 1,000 students.

Local resident Abel Fuandai told the BBC that his friend’s son had been killed and said “the scale of the tragedy is terrifying”.

He said rescue workers and aid workers rushed to save those trapped and used excavators to dig through the rubble.

The cause of the collapse is unknown, but residents said it occurred after three days of heavy rainfall in Plateau.

Injured student Wulliya Ibrahim told AFP from the hospital: “I had not entered the classroom for five minutes when I heard a noise and before I knew it I was standing here.

“There are many of us in the class, we are taking exams,” he said.

Resident Chika Obioha said he saw several bodies and that dozens of people had been rescued.

“Everyone is helping to see if we can save more people,” he said.

In recent years, Nigeria has seen several major building collapses, which observers say are due to a combination of poor workmanship, poor quality materials and corruption.

In 2021, at least 45 people were killed when a skyscraper under construction collapsed in a wealthy neighborhood of Lagos.