AFTER a three-story building collapsed in Jos, Plateau State capital, on Monday the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed the death of 14 people, NAN has reported
Nurudeen Musa, head of the search and rescue operations of NEMA in the North-central disclosed the casualty figure on Tuesday.
The building collapse also took the life of the owner, Kabiru Nalele together with his two wives.
Apart from the 14 deaths, Musa said four people were injured and currently receiving treatment at the Plateau Specialist Hospital and Bingham University Teaching Hospital.
He said a joint rescue operation is being carried out by a team from NEMA, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the International Red Cross and security agencies.
Residents of the area said the building collapsed occur after three days of heavy rains that rocked Jos North. When it happened, many people were reported to have been trapped by the ruins.
Building collapse leading to deaths and serious injury is becoming more frequent in Nigeria.
Earlier in March, a three-story building in Ita-faji, Lagos housing a nursery and primary school collapsed and claimed the life of 16 people, while many were seriously injured.
The collapsed building was reported to have been marked for demolition a number of times, but the demolition was not carried out until it came down on March 13.
Also in Portharcourt, Rivers State, a seven-story building under construction collapsed in November 2018 resulting in the death of several people. The building was said to have been constructed illegally.
A report published by the ICIR on March 22, confirmed that NEMA lacks heavy machinery needed for emergency rescue operations.