23 rescued as mother, child die in Lagos collapsed building (updated)

A three-story building has collapsed at Ibadan street in the Ebutte Meta area of Lagos state.

Many tenants were trapped in the rubble, following the collapse of the building around 10:56 pm on Sunday.

Operatives of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) were deployed to the scene shortly after the incident.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) subsequently confirmed the recovery of two bodies and the rescue of 23 persons from the building.

Ibrahim Farinloye, the zonal coordinator of NEMA, south-west, disclosed this to NAN.

He said the recovered bodies were those of a mother and her child, while the rescued persons included seven children and 16 adults.

“Nine of those rescued alive have been treated and discharged,” Farinloye said.

“They returned to the scene, but have been taken away for proper custody while psycho-social and post-trauma counselling are being arranged for them by the Nigerian Red Cross.”

The building collapse is the second in the Yaba-Ebutte Meta axis in the last two months.

On February 13, a three-storey building collapsed in the Onike area of Yaba, leading to several casualties.

The developer of the project was said to have returned to the site despite a stop-work order on the structure.