A four-year-old girl has died while three other persons sustained injuries after a 30-year-old mud house collapsed on a family in the Tudun Amba area of Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The incident occurred at about 2am on Thursday, shortly after rainfall in the community.
The two-room building was reportedly occupied by six people from two families when it suddenly collapsed, trapping the occupants inside.
Family trapped in building
An eyewitness, Kefas Abu Danjuma, who is the uncle of the deceased child, said one of the rooms was occupied by his uncle and his three children, while his brother, his wife and their two children occupied the second room.
Danjuma said his uncle and his children sustained injuries during the collapse, but their injuries were not considered severe.
However, his brother’s four-year-old daughter died in the incident.
He added that the family’s two-year-old daughter sustained critical injuries and was initially taken to the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lafia, before she was referred to the University of Jos Teaching Hospital for further treatment.
“The building had six people. The first room was occupied by my uncle and his three children, while the second was occupied by my brother, his wife and two children.
“My uncle and his children sustained injuries, but they are not that severe. My brother lost his four-year-old daughter, while his two-year-old daughter is battling for her life,” he said.
The deceased child has since been buried, while the other victims were receiving treatment at the emergency unit of the hospital in Lafia as of the time of filing the report.
Flooding, erosion blamed for collapse
Danjuma attributed the incident to the prolonged effects of flooding and erosion in the area, alleging that residents had been battling the problem for about 12 years without significant government intervention.
He appealed to the government to urgently address the environmental challenges affecting the community and provide assistance to the affected family.
“We have been suffering from this for about 12 years now. Nobody has come to check how the street is doing. We need the help of government,” he said.
He added that the family needed support for the injured victims and assistance with the damage caused by the building collapse.
Community raises alarm
The youth chairman of Tudun Amba community, Jonathan Ovye Kuje, said residents received a distress call shortly after the building collapsed.
Kuje described the incident as shocking, particularly the death of the four-year-old girl, and prayed for the recovery of the two-year-old child who was referred to the University of Jos Teaching Hospital.
He warned that more buildings could collapse if urgent steps were not taken to address the worsening condition of roads, drainage and erosion channels in the area.
According to him, the deteriorating road network has made it difficult for residents to access their homes, while erosion has continued to undermine buildings and other structures.
“People living within the street cannot even have access to their homes because the road is caving in. People are unable to use their motorcycles to get to their houses, and most buildings are being eaten up by erosion,” he said.
Kuje appealed to the government to construct adequate drainage channels to control the flow of rainwater and prevent further destruction of homes and infrastructure.
Efforts to obtain comments from the relevant authorities were unsuccessful as of the time of filing the report.
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