School collapse in central Nigeria kills 16 students

At least 16 students were killed on Friday when a school in central Nigeria collapsed on pupils taking exams, according to an AFP correspondent.

Trapped students were heard crying for help under the rubble after the Saint Academy school in Jos North district of Plateau State fell in on classrooms.

Mechanical diggers tried to rescue the victims while parents desperately looked for their children.


Officials have so far only said "several students" were killed but an AFP reporter saw five dead bodies in one hospital morgue and 11 in another. All were wearing school uniforms.

With his mother at his hospital bedside, injured student Wulliya Ibrahim told AFP: "I entered the class not more than five minutes, when I heard a sound, and the next thing is I found myself here."

"We are many in the class, we are writing our exams," he said.

The National Emergency Management Agency said the two-storey building housing Saint Academy collapsed killing "several students" without giving details.

"NEMA and other critical stakeholders are presently carrying out Search and Rescue operations," it said. A resident at the scene Chika Obioha told AFP he saw at least eight bodies at the site and that dozens more had been injured.