Westbrook Hotel Collapse: Rescue Efforts Underway

4-Storey Building Collapses in Abuja, Traps Scores

Many are trapped after a four-story building collapses at the Westbrook Hotel in Abuja.

Tragedy strikes Abuja as 4-storey building collapses, trapping scores. Westbrook Hotel building crumbles, leaving many feared dead or injured. Rescue operations underway, but emergency responders face challenges.

Many people were trapped inside when a four-story structure that was attached to the Westbrook Hotel fell in the Federal Capital Territory's Garki neighborhood.

The incident happened late on Monday, July 1. It has been stated that a former governor of a state in the South East owns the Westbrook Hotel.

There might have been casualties, according to an eyewitness who reported the incident under condition of anonymity.

He watched as two trapped people were taken away from the debris and transported to a medical facility.

“There is a possibility that there could be some people inside the collapsed building who may have died. I saw two people being pulled out from the rubble now and taken to the hospital while rescue operations are ongoing. The emergency responders are not coordinated yet for efficient operations,” he said.

A story building in Oyingbo, Lagos State, at 34 Oloto Street beside Borno Way, off Freeman Street, fell in November 2023.

Emergency responders revealed in a report that aging and poor maintenance caused an internal suspended beam in a room to collapse.

The casualty was confirmed by Femi Oke-Osanyitolu, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), who also noted that no other injuries from the incident were noted.

The agency got distress calls at around 8:30 in the morning, and the rescue squad showed up at about 8:42 in the morning, according to Oke-Osanyitolu.

"The Agency responded to distress calls. concerning the above and upon arrival discovered a story building in a state of partial collapse.

"Further information gathered at the incident scene revealed that an internal suspended beam in a room collapsed at about 7:45 am due to the aging and lack of maintenance of the structure.

“Unfortunately, an old woman died from the impact of the partial collapse,” he said.