Labourer dies after wall collapses at Abuja excavation site

A tragic incident struck the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Tuesday evening when a labourer lost his life after being buried beneath collapsing earth during an excavation exercise.

The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department (FEMD), which confirmed the incident, said it occurred around 5:50 p.m. while workers were digging a trench approximately seven feet deep.

According to emergency officials, the supporting earth suddenly gave way, trapping the men under a pile of rubble before help could reach them. Rescue efforts were immediately launched, but the victims could not be saved.

Head of the FEMD Search and Rescue Team, Mr Monday Adie, who provided details of the rescue operation, said, “The foundation wall collapsed as the labourers were excavating about 7 feet of the underground of the building.

“Two people were trapped in the rubble of the collapsed wall. While one was rescued alive, the other person was fatally injured.”

He confirmed that the Federal Fire Service was the first responder, having received a distress call at the time of the incident and promptly mobilised its personnel to the scene.

The FEMD commiserated with the family of the deceased young man, whose identity has not yet been released pending notification of next of kin.

In a reaction to the preventable tragedy, the ag. director general of FEMD, Engr. Abdulrahman Mohammed, issued a call for strict adherence to safety protocols at construction sites across the capital.

He noted the importance of professionals in the building sector and appealed to developers to shun quacks, emphasising the need to avoid a repetition of the unfortunate incident.

Abdulrahman also urged residents to always use the 112 emergency toll-free number to report disasters for a swift official response.