Eight de.ad, 26 rescued in Lagos building collapse

At least eight people, including a baby, have d!ed, while 26 others were rescued after a three-storey building collapsed in the Alakija area of Lagos State on Thursday, emergency authorities have confirmed.

The building, a shopping complex situated on Old Ojo Road near Alakija Bus Stop in Satellite Town, caved in at about 11:40 a.m., trapping an unknown number of people beneath the rubble.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said that as of 4:20 p.m. on Thursday, emergency responders had recovered eight bodies and rescued 26 victims from the debris.

The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, said rescue teams were still working to locate and evacuate anyone who might still be trapped.

“The search and rescue operation is still ongoing,” Mr Oke-Osanyintolu noted in an update.

The latest casualty figures represent a significant increase from an earlier report by the agency, which stated that two people had been rescued, while the body of an adult male was recovered shortly after emergency officials arrived at the scene.

Mr Oke-Osanyintolu added that personnel from LASEMA, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), and other emergency agencies were deployed to the site.

He said preliminary findings showed that several shop owners and other occupants were inside the complex when the structure collapsed.

“There are reports that additional persons, including shop owners who had resumed business activities in the complex, may still be trapped,” he said earlier.