One person has been killed as a two-storey building under construction collapsed at Ojodu area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
Loud noise was heard around 4.05 pm when the building, located at Number 19 Bashiru Street, Ojodu caved in and rescue workers thronged the area to help in the rescue.
A witness, who craved anonymity, said he was in an adjoining building when the building collapsed, saying that “I heard a large bang and the next thing we saw was that the building undergoing construction just collapsed.
“Immediately after, we saw a little boy crying, who told us that the construction workers numbering about seven sent him to buy water for them only for him to return and met the building in which they were working has collapsed.”
Osanyintolu said evacuation of the victims from the collapsed building was swift as LASEMA officials made use of sophisticated equipments to detect people trapped beneath the debris.
He stated that rescue operation was still on to rescue others that might be trapped in the collapsed building, saying that other rescue agencies were on ground to ensure that a perfect work was done.
It was alleged that approval for the building was illegally granted by the Federal Ministry of Housing.
At 5.10pm, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA; Lagos State Emergency management Authority, LASEMA; Federal Road Safety Corps and policemen were sighted at the scene battling to save those trapped under the debris.
The state spokesperson for NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye confirmed that only one dead body had been recovered.
General Manager, LASEMA, Mr. Femi Osayintolu, disclosed that four persons were rescued alive.
He added that efforts were on to ascertain the exact location of the trapped victims with a detector, before excavation of the particular area would be done.
None could, however, state the cause of the collapse.
