Following the collapse of a residential building illegally converted to a warehouse in Sabon Gari area of Minna metropolis, the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, NSEMA, has confirmed that no life was lost as a result of the incident.
Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, who made the confirmation shortly after the conclusion of the evacuation process added that the initial 7 persons rescued are responding to treatment and will soon be discharged.
One of the eyewitnesses and staff of the warehouse, Shamsudeen Salisu said he was in the building offloading the soft drinks when it collapsed confirming that no one was left under the debris.
Other persons said the building originally designed for a residential purpose has been standing since 1974 and was illegally converted to a warehouse without taking specifications into cognisance.
A woman whose 2 sons were presumed to be in the building when it collapsed later breathed sigh of relieve when it was confirmed that they were not in that particular branch as confirmed by the chairman of Chanchaga local government area, Aminu Ladan.
The Director General of, the State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Baba-Ara said the position of the agency will be made known at the end of the exercise.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the State Urban Development Board,
Abdulrahman Muhammed hinted that at the end of the evacuation, the building would be pulled down completely as it did not follow specifications.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the state environmental protection agency, Abubakar Muhammed said the level of damage and impact will be ascertained at the end of the evacuation exercise.
As of the time of this update, evacuation of the items from the collapsed building which are 23 trailers of soft drinks, is still ongoing.
