Nigeria school collapse: More than 22 children killed as rescuers search site

Pupils trapped under rubble after collapse of two-storey school in northern Plateau state

Rescuers take a pupil from the rubble of the Saints Academy college in northern Nigeria. AP

Twenty-two children were killed when their school collapsed in northern Nigeria on Friday.

Part of the Saints Academy college in Plateau state’s Busa Buji community collapsed after pupils, many of whom were 15 years old or younger, arrived for morning classes.

A total of 154 pupils were trapped, with 132 rescued and treated for injuries in hospitals, a police spokesman said.

Dozens of locals gathered near the school as rescuers searched through the rubble.

One woman who attempted to get closer to the rubble was held back.

The Saint Academy school after a section of the building appeared to have caved in. EPA

Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency said rescue and health workers as well as security forces were sent the scene to search for trapped students.

“To ensure prompt medical attention, the government has instructed hospitals to prioritise treatment without documentation or payment,” Musa Ashoms, Plateau state's commissioner for information, said.

The state government blamed the collapse on the school’s “weak structure and location near a riverbank”. It urged schools in similar circumstances to shut down.

There have been more than a dozen building collapses in Nigeria recorded in the last two years. Authorities often blame such incidents on a failure to enforce building safety regulations and on poor maintenance.

“Devastated by the tragic loss of young lives at Saint Academy,” Unicef Nigeria representative Cristian Munduate wrote on X.

“Children, full of dreams were writing exams when the school building collapsed. Deepest condolences to families affected.”

– With reporting from Associated Press