A two-storey residential apartment in Abuja collapsed on Saturday morning, trapping several people in the debris.
According to Vanguard, the building, located next to the famous Cupid Hotel on Cupid Road (Sultan Dasuki Way) in Kubwa, used to be a hotel called Al-Hilal. It was later turned into a hospital, and after the hospital closed, it became a residential apartment.
Emergency responders and security personnel were on site, but rescue efforts were delayed because the cranes had not arrived by 8:45 am, almost two hours after the collapse.
Reports have it that two people were taken to a nearby hospital while a few others managed to escape on their own.
West Africa Weekly reported that in May 2024, the Nigerian Institute of Civil Engineers (NICE) disclosed that Nigeria recorded 41 building collapses in 17 months, meaning that Nigeria recorded more than two building collapses monthly.
This tragedy came on the heels of the Jos school building collapse, where at least 200 students were trapped, out of which 22 lost their lives, and 154 others sustained various degrees of injuries.
It is once again another addition to the alarming trend of incessant building collapses going on in Nigeria that further erodes confidence in the Nigerian real estate industry and calls for immediate attention to curb the menace.
Read more: 22 Students Killed, 154 Rescued In Plateau School Building Collapse
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