KWARA: Four members of the same family died in the collapse of a 3-storey building

A three-storey building collapse in Popo Giwa area of ​​Ilorin, Kwara State, has claimed the lives of four members of the same family, with four others rescued alive from the rubble.

The incident, according to reports, occurred on Tuesday morning with rescue workers at the scene of the incident which occurred at around 05.00 on Jalan Popo Giwa No. 41, next to the Gogoro Mosque.

The Kwara State Fire Service and the State Emergency Management Agency confirmed that four victims were rescued alive while four others died.

An eyewitness, who gave his name as Gideon, told journalists at the scene, that the father of the family was a serving soldier, while the mother worked as a casual staff member at the Michael Imoudu National Institute of Labor Studies, Ilorin.

As initial rescue efforts intensified, an excavator was then deployed to the scene to assist rescue teams in removing debris and gaining access to trapped victims.

Several emergency and security agencies, including the fire brigade, SEMA, National Emergency Management Agency, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, Red Cross and health officials, participated in the rescue operation.

Ambulances were also deployed to evacuate survivors and the bodies of the dead.

Representing Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at the scene of the incident, the Commissioner for Education and Human Resources Development, Lawal Olohungbebe, described the incident as a disaster and sympathized with the victim’s family.

“Rescue missions started immediately after the collapse and, thank God, some people were rescued, but unfortunately, we have to take it this way,” he said.

Olohungbebe said the area’s accessibility contributed to the quick response of emergency workers, stressing the importance of maintaining access routes to residential areas.

“One of the things that really made it easier for us to save some of the people we managed to save was the access point,” he said.

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Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, confirmed that four people died while four others were rescued alive.

He said the agency received an emergency call around 5 a.m. that a building had collapsed and people were trapped underneath.

“We immediately moved to the scene and started rescue operations. A situation like this cannot be handled by firefighters alone,” he said.

Adekunle said officials of the Hospital Management Council, NSCDC and other emergency agencies took part in the operation.

He added that the cause of the collapse would be determined after a proper assessment of the structure.

“We are only here to ascertain the true cause of this collapse and rescue the trapped victims. When the time comes, we will convey to the media our findings,” he said.

Adekunle said the relevant authorities would take appropriate action if the assessment required demolition, while residents would be notified if the remaining buildings were deemed safe.

He urged residents to report any signs of unusual structural damage and evacuate buildings immediately if they see anything that indicates danger.

Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command, Ojo Adekimi, said the part of the building that collapsed was where the boys lived.

“The building has three floors. Our findings show that the building where the boy was located collapsed. According to information gathered, there were eight people trapped in the building,” he said.