PANIC has gripped residents of Edo State after a three-storey building collapsed in Ekosodin, with several students from the University of Benin (UNIBEN) reportedly trapped under the rubble.
The building, located near the university’s campus and hosting a large number of students, caved in on Saturday morning, September 14, following rainfall, according to a report by Channels Television.
The storey building is situated on Ekhator Street in Benin, the state capital.
While some of the trapped students have reportedly been rescued, there is an ongoing search for others.
Videos of the collapsed building circulating on social media show students attempting to rescue their peers from under the debris.
The videos also showed the severity of the downpour, revealing how water had submerged parts of the road leading to the hostels.
A student at the scene informed Channels Television that a university rescue team successfully evacuated some of the trapped residents, although many sustained serious injuries.
He mentioned that the injured individuals have been taken to the hospital for medical care.
“The rescue team is still searching for one of the victims who remains trapped inside the rubble, called from inside and the rescue team has continued its search to locate and rescue her and others who are still trapped,” the student said.
Meanwhile, the university management has yet to release an official statement regarding the cause of the collapse or the total number of individuals affected by the incident.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M