At least seven people were injured when a one-storey warehouse collapsed in the Kasuwan Gwari area of Minna, Niger State, on Saturday evening.
The incident occurred as a trailer was unloading soft drinks into the building. Eyewitnesses reported that the warehouse, owned by a trader supplying bulk soft drinks to supermarkets in Minna, collapsed during the loading process. The structure had been receiving assorted drinks from over 23 traders since Friday morning before it gave way.
The injured, who were workers offloading the drinks, were evacuated and are receiving treatment at a government hospital in Minna. Although there were initial claims of three fatalities, government officials confirmed that all seven evacuated individuals were alive.
Mohammed, an electronic technician at the scene, confirmed the evacuation of seven people. Architect Bako Mohammed, general manager of the Niger State Urban Development Board, explained that the collapse was due to the illegal conversion of the structure into a warehouse, and announced plans to demolish the entire structure.
Hussaini Ibrahim, spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), confirmed the evacuation of the injured and stated that no deaths had been confirmed. He added that the true casualty figure would be determined once the debris is fully cleared.
