Heavy casualties feared as building collapses in Abuja

Spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Yushau Shuaib confirmed the incident to Xinhua via a text message, but could not give the exact number of people trapped in the rubbles.

Only three victims have been rescued alive and taken to the National Hospital in Abuja, he said.
“I cannot confirm the total number of casualties for now because local volunteers are still assisting us in rescue efforts,” he said, adding that a number of people were still trapped in the rubble.

A local volunteer at the site, Ifeanyi Nnadi, also said efforts were being made to bring out bodies of the victims trapped in the rubbles.
“As it is now, no one can rule out the probability of heavy casualties and we cannot explain the cause of the collapse,” he added.

In a new development, Nigeria’s aviation authorities suspended another airline’s operations in the West African country due to its current state and poor performance, barely a week after the country suspended the operations of an airline whose plane crashed in south-western Lagos State, killing over 153 people last week but one.
Spokesperson of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Sam Adurogboye told reporters that the NCAA had suspended the operations of Air Nigeria, the erring airline, owing to the strike embarked upon by its engineers and pilots over poor working conditions.

“The suspension of the operations of Air Nigeria is a routine action that will enable us (NCAA) to scrutinise the airline before allowing it to start operations again having been on strike for days,” he said, adding that it is a normal exercise.

According to Adurogboye, the pilots and engineers of the airline had embarked on a week-long strike to press for improved conditions of service.

On his part, president of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) Isaac Balami said he was aware of the suspension placed on the airline and that it would allow the NCAA to carry out proper auditing of the company as their pilots and engineers have yet to receive their outstanding salaries.

“We called off the strike embarked upon by NAAPE members in Air Nigeria last week to allow the union and the management to resume negotiations. — Xinhua.