200 students trapped in collapsed school building – Plateau Commissioner reveals

The Plateau Commissioner for Information and Communication, Musa Ashoms, has confirmed that about 200 students were trapped in the Saint Academy, a secondary school in the state capital on Friday, July 12.

The students were writing their third-term examinations when the incident happened.

Ashoms, who visited the scene in the company of other commissioners, including that of secondary education, said that the school had a total population of about 400.

The commissioner said that part of the school that collapsed was accommodating about 200 students.

“The collapsed building has resulted in casualties, and injured students are still being evacuated to hospitals. We cannot, however, ascertain the exact number of casualties until the evacuation is completed. The emergency workers are doing a lot in the rescue efforts. The Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has urged the medical personnel in the hospitals to ensure that they save the lives of survivors. They should not ask for money or anything because this is an emergency situation,” he said.

The commissioner, however, said that the incident underscored the imperative of order 003 of the state government, which was meant to enforce the implementation of the Greater Jos Master Plan, to prevent such unfortunate incidences.

According to him, the collapsed school building, which was built in a waterlogged area, clearly did not meet construction standards.