2 dead, 4 trapped in 7-storey building collapse

Rescue operation at work.

TWO persons were confirmed dead, while four construction workers are still trapped under the debris of an uncompleted seven-storey building at Oba Abiodun Oniru Street, Oniru Estate, Lekki, Lagos.

The building, undergoing construction, collapsed on Sunday morning of August 4, 2022.

It was gathered that the yet-to-be-rescued workers are trapped on the 3rd floor where the two bodies were recovered.

The building was sealed February 18, 2021 by officials of Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA but the developer continued to work.

A vulcanizer, simply identified as Tobi, said although the site engineer forbids people from sleeping on site, many people usually converge there at night.

He added that the building was giving distress vibrations for a couple of minutes and went down slowly, noting that about 30 escaped before the building collapsed.

Confirming, spokesperson, Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said at about 3:30 am on August 4, 2022, the command received a distress call that a seven-storey building under construction at Oba Abiodun Oniru Street, Oniru Estate Lekki, collapsed and trapped workers therein.

"Based on the report, combined teams of policemen, LASEMA, NEMA, and other emergency management agencies were quickly mobilised to the scene for rescue operation. So far, two of the victims were brought out dead and the corpses were deposited at a public morgue for autopsy. Search and rescue operation is being intensified," Hundeyin added.

Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, added that the agency’s heavy-duty equipment excavator will be required for the rescue of the trapped victims, adding: “We have activated the Lagos State Response plan."

Culled from Vanguard