5th November, 2013
Many victims are still trapped under the rubble of an uncompleted 4-storey building that collapsed on Monday in Victoria Island area of Lagos, southwest Nigeria, said eye witnesses Tuesday at the scene of the incident.
The building collapsed at 8, Muri-Okunola Street, Iru/Victoria Island Local Council Development Area.
At least four people were killed, several injured and 25 others have been rescued.
Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA; Lagos State Fire Services, the police and other rescue agencies are at the scene trying to rescue trapped victims. The rescue operation was ongoing at the time of this report.
LASEMA General Manager, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the rescue officials worked through the night, adding that his men had to relocate from the Great Nigeria House fire disaster scene to the scene of the collapsed building to save lives.
“At least 25 people have been rescued but unfortunately we recovered four dead bodies,” he stated.
Lagos Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Olutoyin Ayinde, said he could not ascertain the cause of the collapse, adding that government was bent on reducing incidents of collapsed buildings in the state.
Most of the affected people are artisans working on the collapsed uncompleted building when the tragedy occurred.
Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, stated that the collapsed building was under construction when it caved in, saying that emergency officials in the state responded promptly by arriving the scene of on time.
In the last 10 months, over 13 buildings have collapsed in Lagos. The government recently banned developers from constructing their buildings during public holidays, weekends and festive periods, saying that it had observed that it was during such periods that government officials were not watching that developers perpetrate illegality in building development.
P.M.NEWS observed that several Lagosians still build structures during weekends and public holidays in defiance of the government ban.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga