Four Dead, Five Rescued In Lagos Building Collapse

No fewer than four persons have been confirmed dead and five rescued alive in the building collapse that occurred in Lagos State, last Saturday.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) disclosed this in a statement by its Head of Public Affairs, Nosa Okunbor, yesterday.
The statement titled, ‘Final Update on the collapsed four-floor building of Saturday, May 21, 2022, at 4 Alayaki Lane, Lagos Island’, said the deceased had been bagged and handed over to officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) to be processed further after being deposited at the mortuary.
Okunbor also said that the five adult males that were rescued alive had been taken to nearest hospitals for further treatment.
He said, “After several hours of intense overnight Search and Rescue Operation coordinated by the Permanent Secretary LASEMA, Dr Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, and combined efforts of three LASEMA Response Teams from Lekki, Cappa and the Alausa Command Control Center, a total of five adult males were rescued (alive) and taken to nearest hospitals for further treatment.
“However, four adult males were recovered (dead), bagged and handed over to officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit, SEHMU to be processed further after being deposited at the mortuary.
“Remains of the self-collapsed four-floor building were then taken down to ground zero by the Agency with the use of its heavy-duty equipment  – the Excavator, thereby eliminating any further threat to lives and all other proximal property.
“Other primary responders present include the LASAMBUS, LASG Fire Sevice, LABCA, SEHMU, Federal Fire Service, NEMA, Red Cross, LNSC and NPF
Also, the Zonal Coordinator South-West, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, said that further investigation into the incident showed that the collapsed building under construction was located within a compound and it was a frame structure as at the time of the incident.
He said that the third suspended slab concrete was already in place with ongoing internal partition.
Farinloye explained that, “The building crumbled during a downpour at about 1:45 p.m., Saturday.
“The building was bequeathed to the family members and some of the family members awarded it to a developer who was converting the bungalow building into a three-storey building before it collapsed”.
According to the NEMA boss, Alayaki Lane where the building is located contains a cluster of buildings and the rescue operation was hampered by the lack of space.
He said for now no one had claimed that a relative is missing.

By: Boye Salau