Plateau Authority Confirms 22 Dead, 132 Injured In Collapsed School Building
The Plateau State Government, Friday night, confirmed that 22 persons died and 132 persons were injured when a school, Saint Academy, located at the Busa Buji community in Jos North Local Government Area of the state collapsed on Friday morning.
There had been conflicting reports about the casualty figure yielded by the tragedy which the state government attributed to sub-standard work and poor quality materials used in constructing the collapsed structure.
At the conclusion of rescue operation at the tragedy site, the Secretary of the state Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Sunday Abdu, announced that 17 persons died when the school caved in while classes were on.
However, in a statement on Friday night, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Musa Ashoms, updated the morbid statistics, confirming that the casualty figure had risen to 22 with 132 battling various degrees of injuries.
“The Plateau State Government expresses its deepest condolences following the tragic building collapse at Saint Academy, Jos, on July 12, 2024,” the Commissioner said in the statement. “ The collapse resulted in 154 fatalities and injuries. Emergency responders are currently at the scene conducting search and rescue operations.
At about 6pm on Friday evening, a total number of 154 persons have been rescued from the debris. Sadly, 22 individuals have been confirmed dead. Injured students and staff are receiving medical treatment at various hospitals across Jos.