Many trapped as three-storey building collapses in Lagos, death rises to eight.
A three-storey building has collapsed in the Ebutte Meta area of Lagos State,
The building located at Ibadan Street reportedly caved in around 9pm on Sunday.
Occupants of the building were still trapped as of the time of filing this report.
Operatives of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) are currently at the scene of the accident.
In a video of the incident shared on social media, a large crowd was seen in front of the building.
The state fire service said: “An alert of a collapsed of a three storey building by 32 Ibadan Street, Ebute Meta was received at 21:48 hours, Sunday with Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service already at the scene.
The number of people who have died in a building collapse that occurred on Sunday in Ibadan Street, Ebute Metta area of Lagos State, has increased to eight.
A statement by the National Emergency Management Agency confirmed the development on Monday.
“Two male additional bodies recovered, making eight deaths,” the acting coordinator, NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye, said.
The recovered corpses were deposited in some of the vehicles the emergency responders brought to the scene of the incident.
Thereafter, the corpses were taken to the mortuary.
NEMA officials, alongside other emergency response agencies including the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service; the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, and the police, had commenced a search and rescue operation immediately the three-storey building caved in late Sunday.
No not less than 23 persons including children were said to have been rescued alive.
The occupants were said to be in their various apartments when the building suddenly collapsed and trapped some of them.
Farinloye, who had confirmed the death of five occupants, said the collapsed structure had been marked for demolition.
He said, “Another three-storey building, on Lagos Street, about 200 metres away from the current scene has shown signs of distress with part throwing pebbles and falling off.
“The building had also been marked as distressed but the occupants were deviant.
However, the building has re-sealed and occupants evacuated by officers of Lagos State Buildings Control Agency.
“Four deaths including two male and two female. 23 people have been rescued alive including seven children and 16 adults. Another young man, Tahin has just been recovered making five deaths.”
The Permanent Secretary, LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, in a statement late Sunday, had said some of the injured victims were rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital for urgent treatment.
A survivor, Dauda Ali, noted that he was brought out from the rubbles by the emergency management officials that arrived at the scene minutes after the building caved in on them.
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