Several children died after a school building collapsed in Nigeria’s central Plateau state, local authorities said.
Saints Academy in the state capital, Jos, collapsed while students were in class on Friday morning.
Trapped students called for help under the rubble, AFP reported, while parents frantically searched for their children.
The National Emergency Management Agency did not confirm the number of victims, but said “several students” were killed. The AFP news agency reported that at least 16 students died.
The school is believed to have over 1,000 students.
Local resident Abel Fuandai told the BBC that his friend’s son was killed and said “the scale of the tragedy is frightening”.
He said rescuers and emergency authorities were rushing to save those trapped and using excavators to dig through the rubble.
The cause of the collapse is not known, but residents said it occurred after three days of heavy rain in the Plateau.
Speaking from hospital, injured student Wulliya Ibrahim told AFP: “I walked into class less than five minutes ago when I heard a sound, and the next thing I found myself here.
“There are many of us in the class, we are writing our exams,” he said.
Resident Chika Obioha said he saw several dead bodies and dozens of people were rescued.
“Everyone is helping to see if we can rescue more people,” he said.
In recent years, there have been several major building collapses in Nigeria, with observers blaming a mix of poor workmanship, poor-quality materials and corruption.
In 2021, at least 45 people died when a high-rise building under construction collapsed in a wealthy neighborhood of Lagos.
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