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Men of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) , Red Cross and few volunteers are still battling to save the lives of six children including about a 40-day-old baby trapped in the three-storey building that collapsed in Kaduna, North-West Nigeria.

Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero has mobilised heavy equipment from Julius Berger, the Kaduna State Public Works Agency (KAPWA) and Mothercat construction company to assist in the operation.

However, no appreciable improvement was achieved as at the time of filling this report shortly after 9pm Nigerian time. The victims have been trapped for over six hours.

Eyewitnesses and families of the victims said the faint voices of the children calling for help under the heavy concrete debris have completely faded away.

“I am not losing hope, I believe God Almighty will save them and give the rescuers the courage to continue to dig,” a sister to the trapped children said shaking in tears.

Some volunteers who earlier successfully pulled out a woman expressed chastised security agents for pursuing them and not allowing them to assist in the operation.

One of them said: “If these security had had allowed us since, we would have risked going under the rubbles and save some of these kids who were shouting. They did not recognise our efforts and look at it now, after over six hours they are unable to even shift the top slap despite all the heavy equipments.”

Tanimu Badamasi Abubakar, Acting General Manager of KAPWA, however expressed optimism that the operation would be a success.

“We are really doing our best and in-shaa-Allah, with all the equipments and technical experts here, we will succeed despite the rain and night,” he said.

•Photo by Garba Ahmad shows rescue operation in progress at the collapsed building.

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