By Ghazali Ibrahim
Four members of the same family have died after a three-storey building collapsed in the Popo Giwa area of Ilorin, Kwara State, early Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred around 5am at No. 41 Popo Giwa Street, beside Gogoro Mosque, trapping eight members of the family under the rubble.
The Kwara State Fire Service confirmed that four people were rescued alive, while four others were recovered dead.
The agency’s Public Relations Officer, Hassan Adekunle, said emergency responders were immediately mobilised to the scene after receiving a distress call.
“We have recovered four people dead and rescued four people alive,” Adekunle told The PUNCH.
An eyewitness, Abdulganiy Musa, said the father of the family was a serving soldier, while the mother worked as a casual staff member at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Ilorin.
One of the children, identified as Firdaus, was among those rescued alive.
An excavator was deployed to remove the debris and assist emergency workers in reaching the trapped victims. Several agencies, including the State Emergency Management Agency, National Emergency Management Agency, Fire Service, Civil Defence, Red Cross and health officials, participated in the rescue operation.
The Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, said the collapsed section was the boys’ quarters of the three-storey building.
He said all occupants had been evacuated from the remaining structure while authorities assess its safety.
The cause of the collapse has not yet been established. The fire service said a proper assessment would be conducted before any conclusion is reached.
The state government urged residents and developers to comply with building regulations, use quality materials and engage qualified professionals to supervise construction.
Authorities also advised residents to evacuate buildings and report warning signs such as leakages and structural defects to prevent further loss of lives.
