| Date | July 12, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Time | ~8:30 a.m. (WAT) |
| Location | Busa Buji, Jos North, Plateau State, Nigeria |
| Deaths | 22+ |
| Non-fatal injuries | 132+ |
| Missing | 154+ [1] |
On 12 July 2024, the Saints Academy college collapsed in the Busa Buji community in Jos North, Plateau State, Nigeria, killing at least 22 students and trapping about 120 more. [2] [1]
Structure collapses have become more common in Nigeria due to poor maintenance of structures, poorly enforced building regulations, the use of cheaper and low-quality materials, construction company negligence, and political corruption. As a result, over a dozen different structure collapses took place from 2022 to July 2024, in addition to the collapse of a high-rise building under construction in Lagos that killed at least 45 people, and the collapse of a three-story building in Lagos in 2022 that killed ten people. [1] [3]
At around 8:30 a.m. West Africa Time on 12 July 2024, [4] the two-story concrete structure of the Saints Academy college located in the Busa Buji community collapsed while school was in session. At least 22 students were killed in the initial collapse, and a total of about 154 students were trapped in the wreckage, of which many were fifteen years old or less. [1] According to students rescued from the collapse, some classes were taking exams when the collapse happened, and they reported seeing dozens of injured students. [2]
Emergency rescue workers, paramedics, and security forces were mobilized to the site of the collapse, and were able to evacuate 132 children trapped in the wreckage using heavy machinery. Dozens of locals came to the site mourning or offering to help rescuers. [2] Locals claimed that it had rained for three days leading up to the collapse. [3] 43 injuries were treated at Bingham University Teaching Hospital Jos, 32 were treated at the Our Lady of Apostles Hospital, 39 were treated at Plateau Specialists Hospital, and six more were treated at Jos University Teaching Hospital. [5]
The Plateau State government gave orders for hospitals to take in patients and treat them regardless of payment or documentation. It blamed the collapse on the college's “weak structure and location near a riverbank”, and insisted that other schools with weak structures or foundations shut down. [2]
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Jos is a city in the North-Central region of Nigeria. The city has a population of about 900,000 residents based on the 2006 census. Popularly called "J-Town", it is the administrative capital and largest city of Plateau State. The city is situated on the Jos plateau which is embedded in the Guinea Savannah of North-Central Nigeria. It connects most of the North-Eastern capitals to the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, by road. Driving in and out of Jos, traffic encounters very steep sloppy bends and breathtaking mountainous sceneries typical of the plateau landform. The name of the state was coined from its affiliation to this landform.
Plateau State is a north central Nigerian state. It is located near the centre of Nigeria and includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and Tourism". The state has a population of around 4.7 million people. Its capital city is Jos.
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On 20 May 2014, two bombs exploded in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, killing at least 118 people and injuring more than 56 others. The first bombing occurred in a marketplace, and the second near a bus station. Though no group or individual has claimed responsibility, the attacks have been attributed to Boko Haram.
The following lists events from 2014 in Nigeria.
On 12 September 2014, a guesthouse located within the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) premises around the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos State collapsed completely to the ground. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other emergency services were criticized for withholding information about the accident, and much remained unclear about the number of deaths and their nationalities.
The following lists events that happened during 2012 in Nigeria.
On 10 December 2016, the roof of the Reigners Bible Church International, an evangelical congregation, collapsed in Uyo, a city in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, during the consecration or ordination of the local bishop. At least 23 people are confirmed to have died in the disaster, with other reports stating numbers as high as 160. Thousands were present at the time of collapse, including government officials and Akwa Ibom governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel.
On March 13, 2019, a three-story building in the Ita Faaji area of Lagos, Nigeria suffered a structural collapse, killing 20 people and leaving over 40 trapped. A school, housing 100 students, was located on the third story of the building, leading to the story gaining significant coverage in local and international media.
The following is a list of events in 2020 in Nigeria.
An earthquake struck Pakistan's province of Balochistan near the city of Harnai on 7 October 2021. The moment magnitude 5.9 Mww quake struck in the early morning at 03:01 local time, killing at least 42 people and injuring 300 others. The earthquake occurred just one day before the anniversary of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.
On 1 November 2021, a high-rise block of luxury flats under construction in the neighbourhood of Ikoyi in Lagos, Nigeria, collapsed. At least 42 people died. The government of Lagos State is conducting an investigation.
Events in the year 2022 in Nigeria.
Events in the year 2024 in Nigeria.
