No fewer than 22 persons were left dead and 132 others injured when a two-storey building of Saints Academy, a secondary and primary school located at Busa-Buji community of Jos North Local Area, collapsed on Friday, July 12, trapping students, teachers and others.
The incident happened while the students were writing their examination around 8.30am.
The Plateau State Government confirmed 22 deaths and 132 injured persons.
Mr Musa Ashoms, the commissioner for Information, who disclosed this, said six of the injured were in critical condition.
Ashoms said that those injured were receiving treatment in various tertiary health facilities in the state, while the bodies of the deceased had been deposited in the mortuaries..
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report, the two-storey building of Saints Academy collapsed and trapped students, teachers and others.
The incident occured at about 8:30 a.m. on Friday, when the students were writing their third term examination.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State described the incident as a tragic and a monumental loss to the state.
Mutfwang stated this in a statement issued same Friday by Mr Gyang Bere, his Director of Press and Public Affairs.
The governor, who sympathised with the families of the affected victims, further described the incident as heart-wrenching and unfortunate.
”This is tragic, unfortunate, heart-wrenching and a gloomy situation.
”We appreciate the timely intervention of the search and rescue team, as well as members of the public, who rushed to the school premises to assist in evacuating some of the surviving students and staff.
”I have directed the relevant government agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and Plateau State Emergency Management Agency, to provide necessary support to survivors.
”Words cannot fully comfort the grieving families over their immense loss, so we pray that God will continue to console and uphold them during this difficult period,” Mutfwang said.
Highlighting the significance and broader purpose of Executive Order 003, recently signed into law, Mutfwang clarified that its intent was to safeguard citizens from such disasters.
”The rationale for the executive order 003 is to prevent Jos from deteriorating into a slum, and to ensure compliance with building regulations in line with the Greater Jos Master Plan,” the governor said.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has received the news of the tragic collapse of the Jos school building, which resulted in multiple deaths and many surviving victims in Jos, Plateau State, with profound grief.
President Tinubu described the unfortunate incident as a huge loss to the nation, as well as a devastating development – too excruciating to imagine.
He condoled with the bereaved families, families of all the victims, and the people and Government of Plateau State.
President Tinubu commended the emergency responders, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), security agencies, and all citizens involved in the search, rescue, and resuscitation efforts.
He also assured the people of Plateau State of his fervent support at this difficult time.
