Four Die in Zaria As Central Mosque Collapse

It was a sad day for residents of Kaduna State, Zaria Local Government, as four worshipers died on Friday evening when the Zaria Central Mosque in Kaduna State collapsed.

Seven other worshippers sustained injuries as a result of the collapse.

The victims were observing the Asr (evening) prayer around 4pm when the incident occurred.

Eyewitnesses said they were in the second Sujud Prayer when, suddenly, the affected portion of the mosque collapsed on those sitting directly at the section.

They explained that the victims were covered by the debris from the mud (some parts of the wall were built with mud) which had been in existence for the past 150 years.

Confirming the incident, the Emir of Zazzau, His Royal Highness Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, said subsequent prayers will be held outside the mosque until further notice.

The Emir however directed that funeral prayer of for all the deceased should be observed by 8.30pm at his palace.

The Emir said: “We had earlier observed a crack on the wall of the mosque yesterday, and was planning to deploy team of civil engineers to effect repairs, when this unfortunate incident happened.”

While condoling the family of the deceased, the Emir directed that people should pray outside the mosque pending the repairs.

The incident is the latest in building collapse across the country. While experts have repeatedly blamed them on poor building materials and unprofessionalism among others, the cause of the most recent incident is yet to be known.