EHIME ALEX, Lagos
A three-story collapsed building in Lagos State has reportedly left one death, six rescued from the trapped debris.
The incident is said to had happened at Freeman Street, Lagos Island.
According to reports, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) recovered the body of a child who died in the collapsed building.
It was reported that the building suffered total collapse leaving its occupants trapped as they were fast asleep at about 4.00 A.M.
The immediate neighbours of the victims were said to had alerted emergency responders, but on arrival, the first victim to be recovered was a male child who could not withstand the situation and gave up the ghost.
The other six rescued occupants were said to had been treated by the Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASSMBUS), while the casualty was deposited at a morgue.
As learnt, the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning, Nigeria Police and other relevant agencies also joined in the search and rescue operation at the scene.
At the time of report, the cause of the collapse has yet to be unravelled, however, the LASEMA Director-General, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, while confirming the incident was quoted saying that investigations will be conducted to unravel the cause of the incident.
Efforts by the Lagos government to fight against building collapse in the state has continued to suffer a setback.
Of the about 43 incidents of collapsed buildings in the country in 2019, Lagos had the highest figure with 17 cases accounting for 39.53 per cent figures, a report by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild, an advocacy group of built environment professionals, indicated.
The report disclosed that 59 per cent of the collapsed buildings in Lagos in 2019 were existing structures while 41 per cent were under construction; seven of the cases were full collapse and 10 were partial.
As part of efforts to stem the tide of building collapse in the state, the Lagos state government had, last month, sealed off 42 buildings in Lekki, 34 properties in highbrow Banana Island for offences of not getting building permits among other compliances.
(additional reports from news sources)
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