Two killed, 14 injured as another building collapses in Lagos

At least two people were killed and 14 injured after a 3-storey building collapsed in the Idumota area of Lagos Island in Lagos state.

Adesina Tiamiyu, general manager of the Lagos State Emergency Managment Agency (LASEMA), disclosed this in a statement.

Tiamiyu said the prompt response of his men led to the rescue of the victims who sustained injuries.

He gave the location of the incident as 9 Daddy Alaja Street, Oke Arin, Idumota.

“The agency received a distress call via the toll-free number 767/112 on Monday 29th of May, 2017 at about 7:00am concerning a collapsed 3-storey building on the Island,” he said.

“This prompted the immediate activation of the agency’s emergency response team and other responders which include the Lagos State Ambulance Service, Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Building Control Agency, National Emeregency Management Agency, Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to the scene of the incident.

“The agency immediately mobilised all the stakeholders to the scene and successfully rescued fourteen victims with various degrees of injuries, who were immediately moved by the LASAMBUS and LRU Ambulance to Mainland Hospital for further treatment, while two other bodies were recovered dead from the debris and were handed over to the family members for burial.”

Tiamiyu said investigations revealed that “illegal repairs” at the building led to the collapse.

“Sands and concrete blocks were seen on the upper deck of the building together with scaffolding around it which suggest that construction was going on in the building already inhabited by people,” he said.

He added that proper investigation would be carried out by the relevant agencies to ascertain the actual circumstances leading to the collapsed of the building.

He advised owners and developers of buildings in the state to strictly adhere to the building codes and physical planing laws so as to avert unnecessary loss of lives.

The incident comes less than two weeks after an uncompleted building collapsed in the Ilasamaja area of the state.