From Yakubu Busari, Jos
Dalung
The Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung has appealed to public spirited indigenes of Jos to join hands in the rescue operation at the site of the collapsed building in Jos, the Plateau state capital on Monday, and support those rescued alive by ensuring that they are taken to the nearest hospitals for immediate treatment.
While commiserating with the government and people of the state over the death of some persons following the collapse of a three-storey building located at Butcher Line in Jos, he described the incident as painful and unfortunate.
The building at Yantaye, close to Terminus in Jos, the state capital, collapsed at about 4:30pm on Monday, trapping many of its occupants.
As at Tuesday, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has confirmed 14 dead. Its North Central Zonal Coordinator, Mr Eugene Nyelong said, when he received a distress call that a building had collapsed, he deployed personnel of the agency to the scene and called on men of the fire service and civil defense to mobilise to the scene. One of the bereaved is a father whose two lost two daughters who are pharmacists. The affected three-storey building housed the a pharmacy of the father of the two girls.
Chairman of Jos North Local Government, Philip Nyam Arin and the Commandant of Nigeria Security Defense Corps, NSCDC, has also verified the number.
Commiserating with the victims and the government of the state, Dalung said; “I wish to express deep shock and my profound condolences to the government and good people of Plateau state over this tragedy.
“I am deeply pained by this sudden loss of lives and property and pray that God will console the government and people of Plateau especially the families affected by the collapsed building in Jos.”
Barrister Dalung also called for rescue operation by the agencies of government to ensure that people still trapped in the rubble are rescued.
