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People rescue one of the students of the collapsed Saint Academy School, Jos, on Friday.
The Plateau State Government has expressed deep sadness over a school building collapse in Jos, the state capital, on Friday.
Seventeen people have been confirmed dead, and over 120 people are trapped at the Saint Academy building in the Busa Buji community.
Prudentj2 reported that the school building collapsed around 8:30 am on Friday when students and teachers were in their classes.
The state Commissioner for Information, Musa Ashoms, disclosed in a statement on Friday that 120 people were trapped under the rubble while giving an update on the incident.
The statement read, "The Plateau State Government has expressed deep sadness over the tragic incident at Saint Academy Jos, where a building collapsed resulting in casualties and injured students and teachers still being evacuated to different hospitals within Jos.
"The government describes the incident as an avoidable tragedy, citing the school’s weak structure and unsafe location near a riverbank.
"However, we commend the efforts of NEMA, SEMA, Red Cross, and security agencies in rescuing trapped children and transporting them to hospitals."
Ashoms disclosed that the government has instructed hospitals to prioritize treatment without documentation or payment.
He added, "The Commissioner of Health has also ordered all major hospitals in Jos to attend to the victims.
"Approximately 120 people were trapped, with many evacuated.
"The government emphasizes the importance of adhering to safety standards, making Executive Order 003 sacrosanct. Schools with similar issues are urged to close down, enabling the Jos Metropolitan Development Board to prevent future incidents."
Ashoms stated that the incident highlights the importance of prioritizing safety standards to prevent tragedies.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, Sunday Àbdu, who spoke with PUNCH which was observed by PrudentJ2 after their rescue operation, confirmed that 17 people have died as a result of the collapse.
The SEMA boss, who described the incident as sad, said, "We have finished the rescue mission, at least for today. We are just closing from the site.
"The fact remains that the casualty figures keep changing. In Bingham University Teaching Hospital Jos, there are 13 dead bodies and 43 people receiving medical attention.
"In OLA Specialist Hospital, we have over 40 people receiving attention. In Plateau Specialists Hospital, we have four dead bodies with 40 people receiving treatment.
"We also have some casualties who were evacuated to the Jos University Teaching Hospital, but I don’t have the figure at the moment."
