After days of rain:

School collapses in Nigeria: 22 pupils dead

(Bild: APA/Associated Press)

At least 22 pupils died in the collapse of a school in the city of Jos in the African state of Nigeria on Friday. Rescue workers searched feverishly for survivors.

By midday on Saturday, 73 more people had been rescued from the rubble, the Nigerian Red Cross announced on Platform X. The exact number of victims is still unknown. The government of the state of Plateau ordered a three-day mourning period for the victims of the disaster on Saturday.

More than 200 injured recovered
The school was also ordered to close immediately. More than 200 injured people have been rescued and taken to hospital so far. The search for a child and a teacher is currently ongoing.

(Bild: APA/Associated Press)

As the Commissioner for Information and Communication of Plateau Central State, Musa Ibrahim Ashoms, confirmed, the accident occurred during lessons at Saint Academy Secondary School in the city of Jos. Around 200 pupils were reportedly in the collapsed part of the building.

Collapse after days of rain
The two-storey building collapsed after days of rainfall in the region. The authorities announced an investigation into the exact causes of the collapse. Negligence, lax adherence to building regulations and substandard materials mean that building collapses are not uncommon in Africa's most populous country.

In recent years, Nigeria has repeatedly experienced major building collapses with many fatalities. Most of them can be attributed to poor construction, inferior materials and corruption.

In 2021, for example, at least 45 people were killed when a building under construction in the exclusive Ikoyi district of Lagos collapsed. According to a South African researcher, at least 152 buildings have collapsed in the economic hub since 2005.