Two trapped victims of Abuja building collapse found dead

Two persons who were trapped in a collapsed two-storey building in the Kubwa satellite town of Abuja have been confirmed dead.

Ikharo Attah, the senior special assistant to the FCT minister on monitoring, inspection and enforcement, confirmed the development to TheCable on Friday.

According to neighbours, an old man who secures the building is one of the victims, while his friend is the second person.

The building which was under construction collapsed in the early hours of Friday.

Five workers were rescued while the two deceased victims were initially trapped in the rubble.

Emmanuel Omeke, a resident of the area, had earlier informed journalists that the collapsed building was initially a shopping mall, but was recently converted into residential apartments.

He said the addition of extra blocks to the structure may have led to the collapse.

Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were deployed to the scene following the collapse.