WAEC candidates trapped as classroom collapses in Taraba

Final-year students of Government Secondary School, Namnai, located in Gasol Local Government Area of Taraba State, narrowly escaped death on Wednesday after a classroom building collapsed during a heavy downpour.

The incident occurred while the students were sitting for their WAEC examinations. According to eyewitnesses, the collapse happened shortly after 6 p.m., just minutes into the second round of exams for the day.

A violent rainstorm, accompanied by strong winds, battered the area and caused the weakened structure to cave in.

Students, teachers, corps members, and examination supervisors were all trapped beneath the rubble. It reportedly took hours of frantic efforts by local residents to rescue the victims from the collapsed classrooms.

Several students, both male and female, sustained various degrees of injuries, with some suffering fractures to their legs, arms, and hands.

Speaking to Daily Trust in a phone interview, a resident of the community, Alhaji DanAzumi Lauris, confirmed that the incident occurred just after the first group of students had completed their exams and left the premises. The second group had only just begun when disaster struck.

The injured were quickly rushed to a nearby Primary Healthcare Centre, located just a few metres from the school, where they are currently receiving treatment.

DanAzumi further disclosed that the downpour caused widespread damage in the town, destroying several houses in addition to the school building.