Tragedy struck in Minna, the capital of Niger State, as a one-storey building, serving as a warehouse, collapsed in the Sabon Gari area.
The incident, which occurred on Friday, May 17, 2024, left numerous individuals trapped under the debris. Emergency responders swiftly arrived at the scene and managed to rescue seven people, who are currently receiving treatment at the Minna General Hospital.
Efforts to manually evacuate the rubble have commenced, with authorities planning to mobilize machinery for a more efficient rescue operation to reach those suspected to be still trapped.
As of the time of this report, the exact cause of the building collapse remains unknown. Hussaini Ibrahim, the Director of Information and Special Duties at the Niger State Emergency Management Agency confirmed that the rescue operation is ongoing.
Furthermore, Bako Ismail, the General Manager of the Niger State Urban Development Board, revealed that the building had been illegally converted into a multi-storey structure.
Despite repeated attempts by the board to halt the illegal conversion, the property owner persisted, leading to this tragic incident.
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