Four family members killed as two-storey building collapses in Kwara

Four people have been confirmed dead after a two-storey building caved in at the Popo Giwa area of Ilorin, Kwara state capital.

 

The building reportedly collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday, trapping eight members of a family under the rubble.

 

A video of the scene seen by TheCable showed a crowd of sympathisers and emergency responders gathered around the collapsed building, making loud noises as victims were whisked away in ambulances.

 

The father of the family was said to be a serving soldier, while his wife worked as a casual staff member at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin.

 

 

Magaji Salaudeen, secretary of the Kwara State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), confirmed the casualty figure during an interview with journalists at the scene of the collapse.

 

“We rescued eight people. Four are still alive, but four are dead. Both the dead and those still living have been taken to the hospital,” he said.

 

“The surviving ones are receiving treatment at the moment. We are moving down to the hospital to see how they are faring.”

 

 

Corroborating this, Lawal Olohungbebe, commissioner for education and human capital development in Kwara, said emergency responders arrived at the scene a few minutes before 6am but not all the rescued victims survived the incident.

 

He expressed condolences to the affected family on behalf of AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, governor of Kwara.

 

“One of the things that made it very easy for us to rescue the few people we were able to rescue is the access road,” he said.

 

He urged residents to comply with building regulations to ensure easy access to houses within communities during emergencies.

 

While addressing journalists at the scene of the building collapse, Adekimi Ojo, commissioner of police in Kwara, urged residents to be concerned about their security, saying there were leakages around the toilet area of the building, which he identified as a boys’ quarter.

 

He said the occupants might not have taken cognisance of the weak spot in the building.

 

“For now, I cannot give details of the casualty, but I can tell you that they are from the same family,” Ojo said.