The number of building collapse incidents in Nigeria more than doubled last year compared to 2018, just as more people died and a greater number sustained injuries, findings by Daily Trust have shown.
An analysis of data on collapsed buildings collated by Daily Trust between 2018 and 2019, showed that 40 cases of building collapse were recorded in 2019 whereas only 18 happened in the whole of 2018, representing about 122 per cent increase.
The data was compiled from routine newspaper reports of building collapse across the country.
The regulators, the state emergency agency, professional bodies or the police also authenticated the incidents and confirmed the casualty figures.
Many structural failures occur yearly that are hardly reported because there is yet no up-to-date official statistics of building collapse in the country.
The figures compiled are just a slice of the numerous cases that are difficult to track and report nationwide.
The data showed that two and three storey buildings, and buildings under construction collapsed more than any other type of structure last year.
The data revealed that while 66 people died and 174 sustained varying degrees of injuries from the 40 building collapse incidents in 2019, about 37 died and 91 sustained wounds from the 18 incidents in 2018.