Two people were rescued while three other victims are trapped after a building collapsed in the Sabo area of Osogbo, Osun State capital, on Sunday, causing panic in the area.
A resident of the area, who is also a member of Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Service, identified simply as Alaran, recounted that a loud sound was heard in the neighbourhood as the building suddenly went down.
Alaran also said that some people were in the building when it suddenly collapsed, he said policemen and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps promptly responded to a distress call from the scene of the incident.
He said, “The incident happened between 7:30 and 8:am today (on Sunday). A loud sound was heard. The house is not being inhabited by anyone. But some people usually hide there to smoke or gamble. Some people were trapped.”
In a statement, the spokesperson for the NSCDC, Kehinde Adeleke, said two people had been rescued from the rubble, adding that rescue efforts were still on.
Adeleke also said the command had earlier, in a report dated June 10, warned that the building that was being used as a hiding place by hoodlums was a threat to the people in the area.
He said, “The building we reported was an eyesore, and we recommended raiding by the task force and the environmental body to sanitise it. “The said building collapsed at about 0730 hrs today, Sunday, July 14, 2024, entrapping five people. Two persons have been rescued so far, while three others were feared trapped.”
