Several children have been killed and dozens were trapped after a school building collapsed in north-central Nigeria, authorities have said.

The Saints Academy college in the Jos North district of Plateau State collapsed on Friday morning as students were in class.

A local television station reported at least 12 deaths on Friday, while a Red Cross spokesperson told the AFP news agency that at least 21 students were killed.

Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency said rescue and health workers, as well as security forces, have been deployed at the scene. It said that “several students” had been killed.

Rescue workers tried to reach the victims with heavy machinery and images from the scene showed crowds gathering around a caved-in concrete building and heaps of debris.

“Approximately 120 people were trapped, with many evacuated,” Plateau Commissioner for Information Musa Ashoms said in a statement.

“To ensure prompt medical attention, the government has instructed hospitals to prioritise treatment without documentation or payment.”