No fewer than two persons have died in the three-storey building that collapsed at the Beirut GSM Market in Kano State on Tuesday.
The Nigerian Red Cross Society, Kano branch, confirmed that one person among the nine victims so far rescued alive after the building collapse has died at the hospital.
The Secretary of the branch, Musa Abdullah, who confirmed the death, however, said that a staff of Kano Electricity Distribution Company had also lost his life in the disaster.
“A staff of Kano Electricity Distribution Company, who was trying to disconnect the building from the high tension but unfortunately, the power that was already shut down from the transformer, technically relayed back and trapped him which led to his death on the spot,” he said.
Similarly, the National Emergency Management Agency has confirmed that one person died among the eight rescued victims that were taken to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital.
In a statement issued by Manzo Ezekiel, Head, NEMA Press Unit Abuja, said so far, as of 9:10pm Tuesday night, eight persons have been rescued and taken to Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital.
“Sadly, one of them was confirmed dead by doctors at the hospital, six with minor injuries were treated and discharged.”
Manzo explained that NEMA was alerted of the incident and immediately mobilised emergency responders to the site for rescue operations.
According to him, NEMA Search and Rescue team from the Agency’s Kano Territorial Office was also deployed to the scene to reinforce and coordinate the rescue operation.
Also in a statement by the Kano Fire Service Public Relations Officer, Saminu Abdullahi, the agencu said eight victims had been successfully rescued.
He listed the names as: Naziru Abdulkadir, 24, Magaji Abubakar, 27, Abdurauf Muhammad, 38, and Minjibir Ibrahim, 46.
Others are Ahmad Buhari Haruna,16, Sadiq Haruna,19,, Abdurashid Basiru, 36, and Danladi Lawan, 29.
The statement maintained that all victims were successfully rescued alive with various types of injuries and that no lives were lost at the scene of the incident.
