By Miriam Humbe, Abuja
Search and rescue for persons trapped in the rubble of a collapsed 3-storey building at 6th Avenue, Gwarimpa, have entered a second day.
The building under construction went down about 11am, on Thursday, trapping onsite an unspecified number of construction workers.
A statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs, FCT Emergency Management Agency, (FEMA) Nkechi Isa said so far, as of Friday morning, 21 persons were rescued alive, while 3 others were removed from the rubble fatally injured.
A rescue team comprising FEMA, National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA), Red Cross Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp, Federal Road Safety Commission, (FRSC), Federal Fire Service, FCT Fire Service and some construction companies were on ground to comb for victims.
During a visit to the site of the incident on Thursday evening, the FCT Minister Malam Mohammed Musa Bello commiserated with the families of the victims and residents of the FCT over the unfortunate incident
The Minister was represented by the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, Engr Shehu Hadi Ahmad.
The Minister said: “This is coming at a time when we are all trying as a nation to come out of this worrisome situation of building collapse.
“These are issues which the FCT environment was not prominent with, but because of some activities of quackery, this has come into the FCT and the FCT is not too happy with these happenings.”
The Minister said that this was the third of such an incident in Gwarinpa Estate.
He said that the FCTA would stop at no limit to identify those involved in the unfortunate development.
He said: “Preliminary report indicates that the land area where this property was standing on doesn’t look well and stabilized.
“There is the presumption of inferior materials in the construction and workmanship.
“To this, the FCTA will take very seriously and engage the agencies involved to find a lasting solution to this type of embarrassment.”
The Director General of the FCT Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Dr Abbas Idriss commended all the emergency workers and stakeholders involved in the rescue efforts.
He said that it was a successful exercise in which both the security and the media had given their best in ensuring the rescue operations went smoothly.
According to him, the operation would continue “until we reach ground zero to be sure that all the victims have been rescued.”
He also called on the residents of the FCT to report any act of sharpness and compromises, especially in the construction sites, to the relevant authorities to save lives and properties.
The report could be done through the emergency toll-free number 112 for a prompt response.
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