22 students killed after school collapses in Nigeria

22 students were killed after a two-storey school collapsed during morning classes in north-central Nigeria, on July 12. 

According to authorities, rescuers were promptly dispatched on a frantic search for more than 100 people trapped in the rubble.

Nigeria's Saints Academy college in Plateau state's Busa Buji community collapsed shortly after students, many of whom were 15 years old or younger, arrived for classes.

Initially, 154 students were trapped in the rubble, but Plateau police spokesperson Alfred Alabo later said that 132 of them were rescued and admitted to various hospitals. 

Following the incident, villagers gathered near the school, as excavators went through the rubble to help students who may be stuck. 

One woman was seen wailing and attempting to go closer to the rubble as others held her back, according to media reports.

Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria said that workers and security forces were deployed at the scene immediately.

"To ensure prompt medical attention, the government has instructed hospitals to prioritise treatment without documentation or payment," Plateau state's commissioner for information said in a statement, as per media reports. 

The government blamed the school's "weak structure and location near a riverbank" for the tragedy.