Death toll climbs to eight in Lagos building collapse, 26 rescued

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The death toll from Thursday’s building collapse at Alakija along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway has risen to eight, including a baby girl, as emergency responders intensified search-and-rescue operations for victims feared trapped beneath the rubble.

Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the latest casualty figures, saying rescue teams had so far pulled 26 people alive from the collapsed structure.

“As of 4:20 p.m., a total of 26 persons have been rescued alive, while eight fatalities have been recorded, including a baby girl. Search and rescue operations remain ongoing. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

The building, located on Old Ojo Road near Alakija Bus Stop in the Satellite Town area of Lagos, collapsed on Thursday morning, triggering a massive emergency response involving multiple rescue agencies.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said it received a distress call at about 11:37 a.m. and immediately mobilised personnel from the Ijegun-Egba Fire Station, who arrived at the scene within minutes to commence rescue operations.

Controller of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said the collapsed structure was an occupied residential building with several people inside when the incident occurred.

She noted that the initial rescue operation led to the successful evacuation of 10 survivors with varying degrees of injuries, who were handed over to medical personnel for treatment.

As the operation progressed, additional victims were extricated alive from the debris.

In an earlier update, Adeseye disclosed that six more victims had been rescued, bringing the total number of survivors at that stage to 16, while two bodies had been recovered from the rubble.

The latest figures released by LASEMA, however, indicate that rescue teams have significantly expanded the operation, increasing the number of rescued persons to 26, while the number of confirmed deaths has climbed to eight.

Emergency responders remain at the scene, using heavy equipment and manual search techniques to locate anyone who may still be trapped beneath the collapsed building.

The coordinated rescue operation involves the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Federal Fire Service, Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Navy, Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps and the Nigerian Red Cross Society.