200 students trapped in the collapsed school building—Plateau government

 

The Plateau Commissioner for Information and Communication, Musa Ashoms, has confirmed that approximately 200 students were trapped in the collapsed school building in Jos.

The Saints Academy, a secondary school in Jos, collapsed on Friday while students were taking their third-term exams.

Ashoms, who visited the scene with other commissioners, including the Commissioner for Secondary Education, stated that the school had a total population of about 400 students.

He noted that the part of the building that collapsed was accommodating around 200 students.

“The collapsed building has resulted in casualties, and injured students are still being evacuated to hospitals.

“We cannot however, ascertain the exact number of casualties until the evacuation is completed

“The emergency workers are doing a lot in the rescue efforts.

“The Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has urged the medical personnel in the hospitals to ensure that they save the lives of survivors.

“They should not ask for money or anything because this is an emergency situation,” he said.

The commissioner, however, said that the incident underscored the imperative of order 003 of the state government, which was meant to enforce the implementation of the Greater Jos Master Plan, to prevent such unfortunate incidences.

According to him, the collapsed school building, which was built in a waterlogged area, clearly did not meet construction standards.

Ashoms said that the Jos Metropolitan Development Board would ensure that faulty buildings were brought down, while ongoing constructions would henceforth conform to standards.