By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
Many residents were trapped in a collapsed three-storey building on Monday evening in Wuse Zone 4, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja. Rescue operations commenced almost immediately.
Men of the FCT Fire Service, FCT Police Command and others commenced search and rescue operations at the scene with urgency; three ambulances were stationed at the location.
The FCT Police Command said the police received a distress call about the collapsed building at about 7:45 p.m. on Monday.
The FCTA Development Control Department had sealed the building and directed the occupants to vacate the premises.
The police said preliminary investigations revealed that the building had earlier been marked and sealed by the Department of Development Control, Abuja.
A police response team, led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Department of Operations, ACP Edward Akaniyene, and the Area Commander, Metro, and ACP Georgelyn Ufomadu, promptly responded to the scene.
Personnel of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, (FERMA), Federal Fire Service (FFS), Department of Security Service (DSS), Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), and other relevant emergency response agencies, were drafted to the scene for search and rescue operations.
