Dozens of students sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination at Government Secondary School (WASSCE), Namnai, in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State narrowly escaped death on Wednesday evening after their classrooms collapsed during a downpour accompanied by a windstorm.
The students were in the midst of writing their West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exams when strong winds and heavy rainfall struck, causing the building to cave in. Eyewitnesses said the storm struck at about 6 p.m., shortly after the second batch of students had commenced their papers.
Many of the victims, including both male and female students, sustained serious injuries. Some reportedly suffered fractures to their limbs. Teachers, exam supervisors, and corps members were also trapped under the rubble and were rescued after several hours by local residents.
The students, along with teachers, corps members, and external supervisors, were reportedly trapped in the collapsed structures and had to be rescued by local residents who responded swiftly to the incident.
Several students, both male and female, sustained varying degrees of injuries, with some reportedly suffering fractures to their limbs.
The victims are currently receiving treatment at a nearby Primary Healthcare Centre in the town.
A resident, who recounted the incident, confirmed the collapse happened around 6 pm, 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.
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He added that the windstorm not only brought down the school buildings but also destroyed several homes in the community.
In a related development, students in Jalingo, the state capital, were also affected by Wednesday’s heavy rainfall.
Some candidates were forced to remain at their exam centres until after 1am, as the torrential rain made it impossible to return home earlier.
There was also a reported late arrival of WAEC paper for the day, which caused the delay in writing the exams until 8pm 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.