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From Judex Okoro, Calabar
Tragedy struct at Ikang community in Bakassi Local Government of Cross River State as a school building housing some classrooms collapsed killing four students in the process.
The incident, which happened over the weeknd when students of Diamond Grammar College, Ikang were writing the second term examination, was caused by heavy rain accompanied by windstorm which lasted for over an hour.
An eye witness, Okon Essien, said the storm that came with the downpour blew off the roof of the building and subsequently pulled down the building.
According to him, two of the students died on the spot while others sustained injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital. He, however, said two of the students rushed to the hospital died yesterday.
“I saw dead bodies of students being moved out of the school immediately after the building collapsed. It was a very horrible sight. There was stampede as a result of the incident. The downpour compounded the whole problem as it made evacuation of the students trapped in the collapsed building quite difficult,” Essien said.
Another witness and community leader, Andrew Asuquo, called on government to come to the aid of families who lost their children, adding that some individuals and community members have been rendering help since the incident occured.
Commissioner for Quality Education, Mr. Godwin Amanke, said the ministry is working closely with the owner of the school and other schools to forestall future recurrence.
