A 35 year old woman and her two children have been killed after a building under construction collapsed on their residence in the Dan Mani community of Rigasa District, Kaduna State.
The incident occurred around 3:30am on Friday in the Abuja Road, Kwanar Mai Dabino area of Rigasa, throwing residents into panic.
The deceased were identified as Takiyatu, 35, her five year old son, Salisu, and three month old baby, Muhammad.
The woman’s husband, Abubakar Abba Haruna, said he was away from home when the tragedy occurred, having spent the night at the residence of his other wife.
Haruna said his eldest daughter woke him by knocking on the door and informing him that the building had collapsed on their mother.
He said, “I came out in confusion, took my motorcycle and rushed home.”
According to him, by the time he arrived, neighbours had already gathered at the scene and were attempting to rescue the victims from beneath the rubble.
He, however, said the rescue effort ended in tragedy as the woman and her two children had already died before they were brought out.
Haruna described the incident as a painful test from God, saying the family had been left with no option but to accept the tragedy and pray for the deceased.
He said, “What happened is from Allah, so there is nothing I can do except pray for them. May Allah have mercy on her and the children. It is a test that Allah has brought upon us. We can only be patient.”
The community leader of Abuja Road, Kwanar Mai Dabino area, Sani Ayuba, also confirmed the incident.
Ayuba explained that a fence belonging to a neighbouring building under construction collapsed onto the house where the woman and her children were sleeping, trapping them underneath.
He said residents immediately mobilised to rescue the victims but were unable to save them alive.
“Neighbours tried to bring them out, but unfortunately, they couldn’t be rescued alive,” he said.
The community leader added that security agencies had been notified of the incident.
He expressed sadness over the loss and prayed for Allah to forgive the deceased and grant them eternal rest.