According to the authorities, as a result of the collapse of the building in the capital of Nigeria, at least 7 people died

ABUJA, Nigeria — At least seven people were killed when a building collapsed in a suburb of Nigeria’s capital over the weekend, a local official said Monday.

“We stopped the search and rescue operation because we were excavating and there was no one under the rubble,” said Nkechi Isa, spokesman for the emergency department in Abuja.

Building collapses are becoming increasingly common in Nigeria, with more than a dozen reported in the past two years. Authorities often blame such disasters on non-compliance with construction safety regulations and poor maintenance.

According to a statement by the Abuja police issued on Sunday, the building that collapsed on Saturday, located in the Sabon Lugbe area, has already been partially destroyed and its structure further damaged by scavengers scavenging for scrap metal.

A representative of the Abuja police, Josephine Adeh, said that five people were rescued from the rubble.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, recorded 22 building collapses between January and July this year, according to the Engineering Regulatory Council of Nigeria.

In July, a two-story school collapsed in the north-central part of Nigeria, killing 22 students. Saints Academy in Busa Buji, Plateau State, collapsed shortly after students, many aged 15 and under, arrived for classes.