Eight people were trapped as a building collapsed in Masalasi Gogoro, Ilorin West council area of Kwara, on Tuesday.

It was gathered that the building collapsed around 5:45 a.m., with people trapped, including a family of five and three others.

Six people had already been pulled out of the rubble alive and taken to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention.

Efforts to rescue others were ongoing at the time of filing this report.

The council chairman, Abdulrahman Ladan, expressed sadness over the incident and acknowledged the swift response of rescue operatives.

“It is a sad development. Something like this has never happened in the local government before. I appreciate the governor for his support. As I speak to you, NEMA, SEMA and different ministries are here.

“We were able to rescue people due to the quick response of several agencies, thanks to the governor for providing the facilities. We’re working tirelessly to rescue two other people,” Mr Ladan stated.

The chairman urged residents to be vigilant about their buildings and get proper approvals before starting construction to avoid avoidable disasters.

“We should be very careful about our buildings. Because they’re old, we should make sure we report to the appropriate agency and evacuate. The building that collapsed today was built years ago. We should also endeavour to get proper approval and get qualified engineers to supervise the construction of our buildings,” Mr Ladan explained.