The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) through the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD) has announced that the tragic building collapse in Sabon Lugbe area on the Airport Road in Abuja, has claimed the lives of seven persons.
FEMD also refuted media claims that 40 people were trapped beneath the rubble of the structure after the building collapsed.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the building in question, located in Gidash Estate, was earlier slated for demolition by the Department of Development Control.
The acting director-general of FEMD, Engr. Abdulrahman Mohammed, while speaking on the incident at the site, emphasised that those who died were scavenging for iron rods and other materials when the building collapsed.
“The structure was marked for removal by development control. These individuals took advantage of the weekend, when no demolition was scheduled, to strip materials from the building’s supports, leading to this unfortunate event,” he said.
Abdulrahman also noted that the chairman of FCT chapter of Miyetti Allah, Mohammed Hussein, confirmed that five members of their association were among the dead victims recovered from the site, while seven others were rescued alive.
He said that FEMD has since concluded its search and rescue operations after confirming there were no additional victims trapped.
The acting director general urged scavengers to steer clear of demolition sites and allow the FCTA to conduct removals safely, to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
He also advised residents of the FCT to utilise the toll-free emergency number 112 to report disasters or emergencies.
