Five persons have been rescued in Vidaz Estate within the Sabon Lugbe extension in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where an uncompleted storey building collapsed on Saturday.
No fewer than 40 persons were said to have been trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building.
Sympathisers and emergency workers are still on-site, working to rescue those still caught beneath the debris..
According to findings, the building, reportedly under construction, collapsed in the early hours of Saturday, prompting calls for immediate intervention from government agencies and emergency response teams.
FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josphine Adeh, who confirmed the rescue of the five persons, said preliminary investigations revealed that the building was previously demolished by the Federal Capital Development Administration (FCDA) due to its location in an illegally acquired area.
“In light of this incident, we urge the public to respect the boundaries of demolished structures and construction sites, ensuring their safety and preventing similar occurrences in the future”.
Our correspondent observed that eyewitnesses at the scene have expressed satisfaction over the ongoing rescue operation.
An eyewitness, Mrs. Mary Odeh, as per The Nation, also witnessed the rescue of five persons at the scene said: “it is a sad development, but we thank God that five persons have been rescued and were rushed to the hospital according to what we were told.
“Yesterday, we were told that about 40 people were trapped in the collapsed building. My house is close to this place. It is a building under construction. You can see that security operatives and other concerned stakeholders are on ground and part of the rescue operation”.
The incident occurred three months after a section of a two-storey residential building collapsed in Kubwa where four people were rescued, while an unconfirmed number of others were initially feared trapped.
