No fewer than two persons including a worker at the Kano Electricity Distribution Company have lost their lives when a three-storey building caved in at the Beirut GSM Market in the Kano metropolitan area of the state.

PUNCH Metro gathered that business activities were ongoing In the market when the three-storey building collapsed and ten people were trapped on Tuesday evening, in a bid to rescue the victims, emergency responders including officials of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Kano State Fire Service, police, among others were deployed in the area.

During the emergency responders recovered the corpse of a victim and rescued nine persons who were rushed to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano, for urgent treatment.

The Secretary, Nigerian Red Cross Society in Kano, Musa Abdullah, however, confirmed that one of the rescued victims died while receiving treatment in the hospital, adding that a KEDCO worker also lost his life in the disaster.

He said, “A worker of the Kano Electricity Distribution Company, who was trying to disconnect the building from the high tension but got trapped and died on the spot.”

The Head, National Emergency Management Agency, Manzo Ezekiel, in a statement, said some of the injured victims had been treated and discharged.

He said, “So far, as at 9.10pm on Tuesday night, eight persons were rescued and taken to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital.

“Sadly, one of them was confirmed dead by doctors at the hospital, while six persons 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.

Also, the Public Relations Officer, Kano Fire Service, Saminu Abdullahi, while reacting to the development, identified the victims as Naziru Abdulkadir, 24; Magaji Abubakar, 27; Abdurauf Muhammad, 38; and Minjibir Ibrahim, 46; Ahmad Buhari Haruna,16; Sadiq Haruna,19; Abdurashid Basiru, 36, and Danladi Lawan, 29.

Ijeoma Njoku Obinwannem News Writer/ Sept 1, 2022