Dozens of students preparing for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination at Government Secondary School, Namnai, in Taraba State’s Gassol Local Government Area, narrowly escaped death on Wednesday evening when their classrooms collapsed during a downpour and windstorm.
The pupils, along with teachers, corps members, and external supervisors, were apparently trapped in the collapsing structures and had to be rescued by local residents who acted quickly to the disaster.
Several students, both male and female, were injured to varied degrees, with some reportedly suffering fractured limbs.
The victims are currently receiving treatment at a nearby Primary Healthcare Centre in the town.
According to reports by Punch, A resident, Alhaji DanAzumi Lauris, who spoke with said the incident happened around 6pm, shortly after the second set of students had begun their exams.
“It was the second batch of students still writing their exams that got trapped. The first set had already finished and left.
“The rain came suddenly with strong winds, and the old classroom structures couldn’t withstand it,” he said.
He noted that the windstorm not only toppled the school buildings but also wrecked several residences in the town.
In a related situation, students in Jalingo, the state capital, were impacted by Wednesday’s heavy rain. Some applicants were compelled to stay at their exam centres until after 1 a.m. because severe rain made it hard to get home earlier.
There was also a reported late arrival of WAEC paper for the day, which delayed exam writing till 8 p.m., when some centres received the paper.
Efforts were made to contact the Commissioner for Basic Education, Dr. Augustina Godwin, but her phone line was not reachable at the time of filing the story.
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