Just in: Two people dead, 37 others rescued as multi-storey building collapses in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja

Two people were reportedly killed while several others remain trapped after a multi-storey building caved-in in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

The building came down on Wednesday night due to heavy rain.

The building is located at the ever-busy Lagos Street, Garki village, Garki II district of Abuja.

The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FCT FEMA) has also confirmed the collapse of the two-storey building on Wednesday night but did not disclose the number of those who have died from the incident.

The Head of Public Affairs of the agency, Mrs Nkechi Isa, said in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, that 37 persons were rescued alive, while two others were fatally injured.

Isa said added that a rescue operation was ongoing to search for more victims

“The two-storey building, which serves both residential and commercial purposes collapsed on Wednesday night.

“FCT FEMA Search and Rescue Team are awaiting excavators to intensify the search to ensure that no victim is left in the rubble of the collapsed building,” she said

Building collapse is not uncommon in Nigeria. In May 2022, eight people died when a three-storey building in the Ebute-Meta axis of Lagos caved in.

Also in September 2022, a seven-storey uncompleted building collapsed at Oba Idowu Oniru street, in the Lekki area of Lagos.

The immediate cause of the collapse is still sketchy, emergency workers and security operatives have started finding their ways to the site to ensure that those who are trapped under the rubble are brought out alive.

According to data obtained from the Building Collapse Prevention Guild, Lagos State has experienced 115 building collapses in the last decade, the highest in the country.