A former hotel turned residential apartment building located near Cupid Hotel, Sultan Dasuki Way, Abuja, came crashing down in the early hours of Saturday morning, leaving several residents trapped under the debris.
Formerly known as the Al-Hilal Hotel and later a hospital, the building was converted to a residential abode the hospital was vacated.
The partial collapse happened around 6:30 am, but rescue operations were delayed due to the lack of necessary equipment needed to fast-track rescue operations by emergency responders and security personnel.
Incoming report has it that the cranes and other emergency equipment required to move heavy rubble had not arrived by 8:45 am, thereby slowing down efforts to reach those trapped in the rubbles.
Already, two individuals were rescued and promptly transported to a nearby medical facility, while some managed to escape on their own.
An escapee, who preferred to remain anonymous, reported that she sensed danger when she heard cracking sounds around 7 am and swiftly exited the building.
It would be recalled that about 22 students were sent to their early graves while 132 sustained injuries on Friday, after Saints Academy Secondary School, Jos, collapsed while students were writing their third term examination.
Eyewitness accounts said that the collapsed school building, which was built in a waterlogged area, clearly did not meet construction standards.
The Jos Metropolitan Development Board vowed to ensure that faulty buildings were brought down, while ongoing constructions would henceforth conform to standards.
