About 50 persons were trapped on Thursday afternoon when a two-storey commercial building under construction gave way in Gwarinpa District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Director of Development Control for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Muktar Galadima, while confirming the incident stated that a rescue effort was underway with the help of a team from multiple agencies.
He also disclosed that approximately 7 people had been rescued and rushed to the hospital.
Although there had been no confirmed casualties, he said that numerous workers were still held under the collapsed structure.
The coordinator of Abuja Metropolitan Management Council ( AMMC), Umar Shuaibu said while the council won’t appropriately blame anybody, an investigation will commence immediately to ascertain both the remote and immediate cause of the incident.
An eyewitness, John Edwin said the workers on the site, especially labourers conveying blocks to the top were over 50.
He claimed to have lived in the area for many years, and that he has always known the place to be a reserved green area.
Edwin called on relevant authorities to question the management of the Federal Housing Authority for illegally allocating Green areas to commercial structures.