Children killed in Nigeria school collapse
Twenty-two children have died, and over 130 have been injured after a school building collapsed in Nigeria’s central Plateau state, according to local officials.
The incident occurred at Saint Academy in Jos, the state capital, while students were in class on Friday morning. The collapse left many children trapped under the debris.
Volunteers used excavators, hammers, and their bare hands to break through the piles of concrete and twisted iron rods to rescue those trapped.
Police reported that at least 22 children had died in the collapse, with many others receiving treatment in local hospitals.
The school reportedly has more than 1,000 pupils.
Local resident Abel Fuandai told the BBC that his friend’s son had been killed, describing the scale of the tragedy as frightening.
The cause of the collapse is not yet known, but residents noted it followed three days of heavy rains in Plateau.
Speaking from hospital, injured student Wulliya Ibrahim told AFP: “I entered the class not more than five minutes, when I heard a sound, and the next thing is I found myself here.
“We are many in the class, we are writing our exams,” he said.
Resident Chika Obioha said he had seen a number of dead bodies and that dozens of people had been rescued.
“Everyone is helping out to see if we can rescue more people,” he said.
“Devastated by the tragic loss of young lives at Saint Academy,” Unicef Nigeria representative Cristian Munduate wrote on X.
“Children full of dreams were writing exams when the school building collapsed. Deepest condolences to families affected.”
There have been several major building collapses in Nigeria in recent years, with observers blaming a mix of bad workmanship, poor quality materials and corruption.
In 2021, at least 45 people were killed when a high-rise building under construction collapsed in a wealthy Lagos neighbourhood.
