Today In History: 23 die from Abuja building collapse

According to the Nigerian Red Cross, the death toll following the collapse of a multi-story building in Nigeria's capital Abuja has risen to 23 from an original two.

The building, which had been declared unsafe by authorities and was estimated to be four or five stories high, collapsed about dawn on Wednesday 13 August 2010 in Abuja's Garki Area 11 suburb, south of the central business district.

“The rescue mission is now complete. “We're talking about 23 people dead and 10 people injured,” a Red Cross representative from Abuja told Reuters by phone, declining to be identified.

Such catastrophes are widespread in Africa's most populous country, where infrastructure is old and badly maintained, due to substandard materials and a disdain for building laws.

The building had been condemned by the authorities, according to Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory Minister Bala Muhammed, who is in charge of construction in Abuja, and developers had continued to add an extra level despite the warnings.

Last year, two separate building collapses in Nigeria's commercial metropolis Lagos killed at least 16 people.

Rescue attempts in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, are still underway after a condemned building collapsed, killing at least 14 people.

The building, which was estimated to be three to five storeys high, collapsed in the Garki area on Wednesday. Locals estimated that about 50 people were squatting inside.

Officials stated residents had been warned that the construction was unsafe, but they had refused to leave despite the warning.

Survivors, on the other hand, claimed they were unaware of the danger of the building collapsing.

Building collapses are quite prevalent in Nigeria due to the widespread use of poor materials and violations of building codes.

Bala Mohammed, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, said Wednesday's collapse was the city's third since he entered office three months ago.

Mr Mohammed, who is in charge of Abuja's development, claimed the developers of the Garki building had continued to construct an additional level despite officials' warnings that the construction was unsafe.

"We had sent out a warning that the area needed to be evacuated. The majority of the residents are unlawful, and the developer ignored the warnings "On Wednesday, he informed the Reuters news agency that he was inspecting the site.

Hussaini Abubakar, a student who lived in the building, claimed he had just completed praying at dawn and was getting ready to start fasting on the first day of Ramadan when it was destroyed.

"The structure began to crumble. I leaped down from the second story with my phone and one clothing "He told Reuters about it.

The building came crashing down in less than five minutes.

"There was nothing like that," Vivian Rogunwa, whose sister and four-year-old nephew were among those slain, said of the government's claim that people were warned of the danger.

"There was no indication that the building was going to topple," she told the AFP news agency.

At least 12 individuals have been rescued alive from the rubble so far. The mission was impeded, according to rescuers, by a lack of equipment.