The Plateau State government has confirmed 22 deaths and 132 injured persons after a school building collapsed in Jos.
The Commissioner for Information, Mr Musa Ashoms, said six of the injured persons 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.
A two-storey building of Saints Academy, a secondary and primary school located at Busa-Buji community of Jos North local government area collapsed, trapping students, teachers and others.
The incident occurred at about 8:30 a.m. on Friday when the students were writing their third term examination.
Meanwhile, Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau has described the incident as a tragic and a monumental loss to the state.
Mutfwang, in a statement issued by Mr Gyang Bere, his Director of Press and Public Affairs, on Friday in Jos, sympathised with the families of the affected victims.
He also 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.
NAN
