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The collapse of a school in northern Nigeria leaves 22 students dead, officials say

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The collapse of a school in northern Nigeria leaves 22 students dead, officials say
News

News

The collapse of a school in northern Nigeria leaves 22 students dead, officials say

2024-07-14 00:54 Last Updated At:01:00

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A two-story school collapsed during morning classes Friday in north-central Nigeria, killing 22 students and sending rescuers on a frantic search for more than 100 people trapped in the rubble, authorities said.

The Saints Academy college in Plateau state’s Busa Buji community collapsed shortly after students, many of whom were 15 years old or younger, arrived for classes.

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A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A man is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A man is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

People gather at the scene of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

People gather at the scene of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

People gather at the scene of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

People gather at the scene of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

People and rescuers gather at the scene of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

People and rescuers gather at the scene of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A total of 154 students were initially trapped in the rubble, but Plateau police spokesperson Alfred Alabo later said 132 of them had been rescued and were being treated for injuries in various hospitals. He said 22 students died. An earlier report by local media had said at least 12 people were killed.

Dozens of villagers gathered near the school, some weeping and others offering to help, as excavators combed through the debris from the part of the building that had caved in.

One woman was seen wailing and attempting to go closer to the rubble as others held her back.

Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency said rescue and health workers as well as security forces had been deployed at the scene immediately after the collapse, launching a search for the trapped students.

“To ensure prompt medical attention, the government has instructed hospitals to prioritize treatment without documentation or payment,” Plateau state's commissioner for information, Musa Ashoms, said in a statement.

The state government blamed the tragedy on the school’s “weak structure and location near a riverbank." It urged schools facing similar issues to shut down.

Building collapses are becoming common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with more than a dozen such incidents recorded in the last two years. Authorities often blame such disasters on a failure to enforce building safety regulations and on poor maintenance.

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A man is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A man is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

People gather at the scene of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

People gather at the scene of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

People gather at the scene of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

People gather at the scene of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

A student is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

People and rescuers gather at the scene of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

People and rescuers gather at the scene of a collapsed two-storey building in Jos, Nigeria, Friday, July, 12, 2024. At least 12 students have been killed after a school building collapsed and trapped them in northern Nigeria, authorities said on Friday. (AP Photos)

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s pick to head the Transportation Department promised Wednesday to scrutinize Boeing's safety issues, streamline regulations and not interfere in ongoing agency investigations into Elon Musk’s electric car company if confirmed as secretary.

Former Wisconsin congressman Sean Duffy said at his Senate confirmation hearing that he would “restore global confidence" in Boeing, hire more air traffic controllers and create federal rules for self-driving cars instead of leaving that to the states, something Musk's Tesla has been pushing for to help speed development of the technology.

But asked how he would handle ongoing investigations into Tesla, Duffy said he would allow the department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to follow the evidence and not interfere — even in the face of political pressure to do so.

"I will let NHTSA do its investigation,” said Duffy, an ardent Trump backer in his first term in office, a reality TV star and Fox News host.

Duffy, 53, is hoping to take over the Department of Transportation as the U.S. faces intense competition from other countries in electric cars and self-driving technology, in particular from China. That country came up several times during the hearing, as did Musk, the world's richest man with close ties to the president-elect who gave an estimated $250 million to Trump's presidential campaign.

“Without clear rules, or a patchwork of rules state by state, we put ourselves behind those countries that allow innovators to expand and grow," said Duffy, adding “We are in direct competition with China.”

“We are in a global race to out-innovate the rest of the world,” Duffy told members of Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

The massive transportation agency employs more than 55,000, spends tens of billions of dollars annually, oversees the nation's highways, railroads and airspace and sets safety standards for trains, cars and trucks.

The agency has opened probes into the safety of Tesla vehicles, especially what the company calls Full Self-Driving, a misnomer because the vehicles require human intervention at any moment. In October, NHTSA launched a probe Tesla's self-driving system covering 2.4 million vehicles after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian.

Duffy’s decisions at the transportation department will have a direct impact on profits not only at Tesla but Musk's rocket company, SpaceX, which has billions of dollars of contracts with federal agencies. The transportation department's Federal Aviation Administration has occasionally fined the company for violations, including $633,000 last year for alleged safety violations during two Florida launches.

At one point in the hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas brought up the fines, describing them as excessive and unnecessary and asking Duffy what he would do about them.

“I commit to doing a review and working with you and following up on the space launches,” Duffy said.

If confirmed, Duffy would replace Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay Cabinet member.

Duffy served as co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business until leaving the network in November.

He won a House seat as part of wave of Tea Party victories in 2010 after a campaign where he could be seen in a red flannel shirt chopping trees and telling voters he came from a “long line of lumberjacks " and would bring his axe to Washington.

He resigned from Congress in 2019, citing a need to care for his nine children.

A former lumberjack athlete, Duffy met his wife on the set of MTV’s “Road Rules: All Stars” in 1998. His wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, is co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend.

With his family sitting behind him, former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, for his nomination to be Transportation Secretary. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

With his family sitting behind him, former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, for his nomination to be Transportation Secretary. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., center, smiles as Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., right, introduces him before he testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, to be Transportation Secretary. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., left, also introduced Duffy. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., center, smiles as Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., right, introduces him before he testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, to be Transportation Secretary. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., left, also introduced Duffy. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., left, shakes hands with former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., right, before Duffy testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, on his nomination to be Transportation Secretary. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., left, shakes hands with former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., right, before Duffy testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, on his nomination to be Transportation Secretary. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., arrives to testify before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, for his nomination to be Transportation Secretary. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., arrives to testify before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, for his nomination to be Transportation Secretary. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, for his nomination to be Transportation Secretary. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, for his nomination to be Transportation Secretary. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, for his nomination to be Transportation Secretary. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, for his nomination to be Transportation Secretary. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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