Four persons have been confirmed dead in a collapsed building in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Four others who reportedly sustained serious injuries have been taken to the General Hospital in Ilorin for treatment.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the two-storey building located at Popo-Giwa area of Ilorin, the state capital, collapsed at about 5.30am.
The spokesperson for the Kwara State Fire Service, Hakeem Adekunle and an official of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Magaji Saadudeen, confirmed the death of four people and the rescue of four others.
The head of the family that owns the building, Abdulkareem Jekidero, said it collapsed at about 5:30 am, adding that, “we just returned from Subhi (morning) prayer when I heard a loud noise.
“I sent someone to check what the noise was about; when he returned he told me that the building behind had collapsed. I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
The SEMA secretary, Magaji Saadudeen, said eight people were trapped in the building, adding that the rescued victims and bodies of the deceased had been taken to hospital.
“The rescued persons are receiving treatment presently,” Saadudeen said.
The spokesperson of the State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, said:”we have recovered four people dead and rescued four people alive.”
Adekunle said the agency received a distress call at about 5am reporting that a building had collapsed and people were trapped underneath.
“We immediately mobilised to the scene and commenced rescue operation. This kind of situation is not something the fire service can handle alone,” he said.
He added that officials of the Hospitals Management Board, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC) and other emergency agencies joined the rescue operation.
