6 killed as building collapses in Lagos

Six bodies have so far been removed from the rubble of a three-storey building which collapsed at Ebute Meta, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, this morning.

The bodies were those of a couple, a baby and three others.

Investigations at the site of the collapsed building located at 29b, Oloto Street, off Cemetery Road, Ebute Meta, revealed that many of the occupants of the house were still trapped in the rubble.

So far, six persons had been rescued from the building which reportedly collapsed at 2 a.m. on Thursday.

Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, spokesperson of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South-West, disclosed that his agency got information that the building started cracking at about 1.30 a.m. and finally gave way at about 2 a.m.

Farinloye also confirmed that six people had been brought out dead, while six others were rescued and taken to hospitals with minor injuries.

Emergency workers were still combing the debris for those still trapped in the building.

Emergency officials at the site include policemen, officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Red Cross, NEMA, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the state Fire Service. Residents and youths in the area were also helping out.

A rescued resident of the building, Miss Dalikis Abdulamid, 23, disclosed that she was at the balcony of the second floor when the building collapsed.

She said that her mother and her four siblings were also rescued, but had been taken to the hospital.

According to her, they had been noticing cracks in the walls of their rooms, but that their father used to patch these up with cement.

“We did not know that the building will collapse. By 2 a.m., when the building came down, some of our co-tenants were trapped, while some were dead,” she said.

The Commisioner for Special Duties Wale Almed, who was on ground to assess the situation, said that the government is looking into the issue of collapsed buildings in Lagos.

He said he hopes the committee will come up with a permanent solution to the problem.