School Collapse Kills 16 Students in NigeriaSchool Collapse Kills 16 Students in Nigeria Jos, Nigeria – A school building in central Nigeria collapsed while students were taking exams, killing at least 16 people, according to an AFP correspondent. The incident occurred at Saint Academy school in the Jos North district of Plateau State. Trapped students were heard screaming for help under the rubble after the two-story building collapsed on classrooms. Mechanical excavators assisted in rescue efforts as parents desperately searched for their children. Officials confirmed the deaths of “several students,” while an AFP reporter counted 16 bodies in hospital morgues. Injured student Wulliya Ibrahim described the chaotic scene: “I heard a noise and the next moment I was standing here.” The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reported that search and rescue operations were ongoing, but declined to provide further details. Resident Chika Obioha witnessed the aftermath: “Everyone is helping to see if we can save more people,” he said, adding that he saw at least eight bodies and dozens of injured. The cause of the collapse remains unclear, but residents attribute it to heavy rainfall in the area. The incident has sparked outrage and raised concerns about the safety of school buildings in Nigeria. Officials have promised an investigation and vowed to take measures to prevent similar tragedies.
Jos, Nigeria – At least 16 students were killed on Friday when a school in central Nigeria collapsed while pupils were taking exams, an AFP correspondent said.
Trapped students were heard screaming for help under the rubble after the Saint Academy school in the Jos North district of Plateau State collapsed on classrooms. Mechanical excavators tried to rescue the victims as parents desperately searched for their children. Officials have so far said only that “several students” have been killed, but an AFP reporter saw five bodies in one hospital morgue and 11 in another. All were wearing school uniforms.
As his mother sat by his hospital bed, injured student Wulliya Ibrahim told AFP: “I had not entered the classroom for five minutes when I heard a noise and the next moment I was standing here.”
“We are many in the classroom, we are writing our exams,” he said. The National Emergency Management Agency said the two-storey building housing Saint Academy had collapsed and “several students” had died, without giving details. “NEMA and other key stakeholders are currently conducting search and rescue operations,” it said. A resident at the scene, Chika Obioha, told AFP he saw at least eight bodies at the site and dozens more were injured. “Everyone is helping to see if we can save more people,” he said. The AFP correspondent said he saw 11 bodies at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital mortuary and five dead who had been taken to the mortuary of Our Lady of Apostles Hospital in Jos. At least 15 rescued and injured students were admitted, officials at Our Lady of Apostles Hospital said. Officials at Bingham University Teaching Hospital declined to comment.
It is not yet clear what caused the collapse, but residents say it happened after three days of heavy rainfall in Plateau.
