Nigeria’s mosque collapses during prayers, killing 7 worshippers

A part of a mosque collapsed in Kaduna State in the northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria during prayers on Friday, killing seven people and injuring 23 others. 

The authorities said in northwestern Nigeria’s Kaduna state that the mosque collapsed while hundreds of people were inside. The incident took place in Zaria Central Mosque.

The state Emergency Management Agency reportedly said, “Twenty-three people were affected and evacuated to the hospital by our fire servicemen.” According to reports, the mosque was built in the 1830s. 

The video of the incident also went viral on social media. The video showed that a part of the roof fell in. The tragic incident took place while people were praying.

After the incident, victims were buried and other people prayed for them at the mosque. 

Uba Sani, the current serving Governor of Kaduna State, ordered a probe into the matter. He sent his condolences to the people impacted by the disaster. He pledged to help people affected by the “heartbreaking incident.” Kaduna Gov. Uba Sani also sent an advance team to Zaria, a metropolitan city in Nigeria.

According to reports, such incidents have become common in Nigeria. In April, a seven-storey building under construction collapsed on First Avenue in Ikoyi. The state government sent a rescue team to find people trapped under the rubble. A team of Lagos state government officials also went on the scene.

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Recently, Farouk Salim, the Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, revealed that Nigeria has the highest number of building collapses in the African continent. He urged the federal and state governments to respond. 

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He revealed that around 221 cases have been recorded in the country in over four decades. He said that Lagos accounts for 60 per cent of such cases. He linked such incidents to poor structural designs and safety regulations.