- Amid fears of trapped on-site workers
One person has been confirmed dead and three others injured after a building collapsed in the Fadeyi area of Lagos State.
The incident occurred Friday morning on Akinola Street, off Ikorodu Road trapping unspecified number of construction workers beneath the rubble.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said while the cause of the collapse has yet to be ascertained, emergency responders are making frantic efforts to ascertain the number of people (on-site workers) trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, said the agency received a distress call about the incident at 12:10am.
He said LASEMA immediately activated its Cobra Response Team from the Onipanu Base, which arrived at the scene at 12:12am and commenced search-and-rescue operations.
According to him, responders discovered that workers might have been trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
The operation was intensified after rescuers heard groaning sounds from beneath the debris, suggesting that some of the trapped workers were still alive.
Oke-Osanyintolu said an excavator was deployed to aid the rescue operation, while responders took measures to protect the lives of those trapped and the emergency personnel working at the scene.
By 3:33am, three adult males had been rescued alive, while the body of another adult male was recovered from the rubble.
The survivors received immediate pre-hospital treatment from LASEMA paramedics and the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) before being evacuated to a hospital for further treatment.
Search-and-rescue operations continued to determine whether other people remained trapped beneath the rubble.
The operation was coordinated by LASEMA’s Director of Operations, Engineer Akinsanya, and the Head of Cappa Base, Engineer Salami.
The LASEMA Response Team, LRU paramedics, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, LASAMBUS and officers of the Nigeria Police Force from Alagbon Division also participated in the operation.
Oke-Osanyintolu said the cause of the collapse had yet to be established, adding that the relevant regulatory authorities would investigate the incident.
He expressed the state government’s condolences to the family of the deceased and wished the rescued victims a speedy recovery.
The Permanent Secretary reiterated the commitment of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration to enforcing building safety standards across Lagos, stressing that the government maintains a zero-tolerance policy for substandard construction.
He said the government would continue to strengthen monitoring and enforcement in collaboration with the Lagos State Building Control Agency to prevent building failures and avert further loss of life.