Death toll rises to eight in collapsed Zaria central mosque building

Death toll in the aftermath of the collapsed central mosque building in Zaria has now risen to eight.

Already, the victims have been buried.

Blueprint had reported that part of the mosque caved in when prayers were ongoing on Friday evening, leading to the death of worshippers.

The latest death toll was confirmed by an officer of the Kaduna State Fire Service, Bello Umar.

Earlier, the Emir of Zazzau, Mallam Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, said the victims were observing the Asr prayer around 4pm when the incident occured.

He 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. (Blueprint)