At least one person has been confirmed dead and about 19 others rescued with various injuries from the rubbles of a three-storey shopping plaza that collapsed on Thursday at 7th Avenue, Gwarimpa in Abuja.
The building under construction reportedly collapsed at about 10:18am at 4th Avenue close to H-Medix with many workers trapped.
The three-storey building which has a basement was reported to have caved in on an unspecified number of workers.
The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FCT-FEMA) is coordinating the response.
In an update Thursday evening, the agency confirmed more than a dozen have been evacuated.
“19 persons have so far been rescued, one dead,” said Nkechi Isa, the Public Relations Officer.
“The victims have been taken to Wuse, Gwarinpa, Asokoro district hospitals, and the Federal Medical Centre.”
Some construction companies with heavy-duty equipment were part of the rescue efforts, Isa added.
