No fewer than 18 persons, including a mother, her baby and 13 adults, mainly construction workers, were killed on Tuesday, when a five-storey incomplete building collapsed at the Lekki Gardens Estate located beside the Chisco bus stop in the Ikate area of Lekki in Lagos.
Also 13 persons were rescued alive with varying degree of injuries from the rubble, even as scores were still feared trapped under the debris of the construction site as rescue work continued through the evening.
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Construction of the five-storey building started four months ago.
It was gathered that the building collapsed at about 4.30 am following a heavy downpour and winds that levelled it, burying scores of people underneath the rubble.
Immediately news of the incident filtered out, emergency responders drawn from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Federal and State Fire Service and the police stormed the area.
In an interview with THISDAY, NEMA South-west spokesperson, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said rescue operations would continue until they get to the ground floor. He said: “Those rescued alive were first treated by medical personnel attached to the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) before they were moved to Lagos General Hospital. The bodies of the dead ones have since been deposited at the mortuary.”
On the possible cause of why the building collapsed, General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Shola Adeigbe, blamed it on a structural defect.
He said: “I learned that there was an approval for the building from the district officer. The materials used for the construction were of poor quality. It was a foundation failure because it sank before collapsing.
“We will subject the entire building to structural stability test. The only thing for us is to ensure that they construct with quality materials.”
Speaking on those still trapped underneath the building, the leader of the Hausa community in the area, Babangida Bello, said they were able to identify those that were still trapped.
He said: “I was informed that the building my brother works in collapsed and so I rushed to the scene. We have been able to identify the names and number of those that were trapped under the rubble. They are Umar, Ado, Alu, Muhammed, Jemilu, Sabiu and Saminu.
Construction of the five-storey building started four months ago.
It was gathered that the building collapsed at about 4.30 am following a heavy downpour and winds that levelled it, burying scores of people underneath the rubble.
Immediately news of the incident filtered out, emergency responders drawn from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Federal and State Fire Service and the police stormed the area.
In an interview with THISDAY, NEMA South-west spokesperson, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said rescue operations would continue until they get to the ground floor. He said: “Those rescued alive were first treated by medical personnel attached to the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) before they were moved to Lagos General Hospital. The bodies of the dead ones have since been deposited at the mortuary.”
On the possible cause of why the building collapsed, General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Shola Adeigbe, blamed it on a structural defect.
He said: “I learned that there was an approval for the building from the district officer. The materials used for the construction were of poor quality. It was a foundation failure because it sank before collapsing.
“We will subject the entire building to structural stability test. The only thing for us is to ensure that they construct with quality materials.”
Speaking on those still trapped underneath the building, the leader of the Hausa community in the area, Babangida Bello, said they were able to identify those that were still trapped.
He said: “I was informed that the building my brother works in collapsed and so I rushed to the scene. We have been able to identify the names and number of those that were trapped under the rubble. They are Umar, Ado, Alu, Muhammed, Jemilu, Sabiu and Saminu.
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