Tragedy struck yesterday in the nation's capital, Abuja, as about 20 persons were reportedly trapped in the rubble of a four-storey hotel building which collapsed in Dape, Life Camp.

According to eyewitnesses, the building, which has an underground facility, was owned by one of the top people in the hotel business in the territory.

It was said to be under construction as of the time of the collapse.

Rescue efforts commenced immediately in earnest as security forces and other emergency responders have reportedly mobilised to rescue the trapped victims, witnesses said.

Building collapse has been frequent in parts of Nigeria in recent times and these have been attributed to poor quality materials and inadequate regulations and supervision on the part of the appropriate authorities.

At about 7.45pm the rescue team at the scene rescued nine of the trapped victims and rushed them to the hospital.

Information gathered indicate that the hotel is owned by Summit Villa Hotel Services.

An eye witness at the site, who preferred anonymity, said the collapse of the building took place around 4.00pm on Monday, while construction workers were carrying out their work.

The building, which was intended for hotel accommodation, it was learned, gave way unexpectedly, trapping several workers who were on site at the time of the collapse.

He explained that the building collapsed during the casting work, shortly after the engineer had left the site.

According to the eyewitness account, the collapsed building which is located in the swampy area of Dape near Berger Clinic was attributed to the use of substandard materials.

At the time of filing this report, the rescue team, comprising officials from FCT Fire Service, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Nigeria Police Force (NPA) were making relentless efforts to rescue the remaining trapped victims.