3 WAEC Candidates Killed, 200 Injured As Exam Hall Collapses

Sad reports have it that three pupils, including a girl, were killed and hundreds injured on Wednesday when a building in which they were writing the West African Examination Council School Certificate Examination (WASCE) collapsed on them.

The incident occurred in Alpha Academy, a private secondary school in Mararaba, Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State.

Some 560 candidates were writing the examination in Alpha Academy. Many of them complained of the cracks before the building came down on Wednesday.

Of the 200 injured candidates, 30 are said to be in critical condition at the CRCN Hospital, Takum, where doctors are battling to save their lives.

One of the survivors, Godiya John, 22, who sustained a spinal cord injury, was immediately referred to the National Hospital, Abuja.

The examination hall was described as a one-storey building, and examination was about to take place at the time the building came down.

Another survivor, simply identified as Ezekiel, said they were waiting for Biology question papers when the building came down suddenly on them.

Ezekiel, who is seriously injured, said the incident occurred at about 6.48pm, more than three hours behind the time scheduled for the examination.

"The paper was slated for 3.30pm," Ezekiel said, attributing the delay to officials.



*May God grant the families of the deceased the fortitude to bear the loss.*