Woman dies as another building crashes in Lagos

A two-storeyed building located at 9 Alli close, Mile 12, Lagos, collapsed around 8:45 am on Saturday, killing a 47-year-old woman.

Michael Akindele, general manager of the Lagos State Emergency Agency (LASEMA), confirmed the incident, saying rescue operation was ongoing.

He attributed the incident to poor maintenance of the building.

“It was a partial collapse which affected the balcony of the building,” he said in a statement.

“One female victim was killed and the building has been condoned off for safety. The agencies on ground include LASEMA,ERT, Lagos state fire service and the Nigerian police force, alapere division.

“Investigation and assessment conducted revealed that the building had shown sign of distress as some portion of the balcony was caving in.

“The 47-year-old woman sustained bodily injury and died on her way to the hospital. The occupant of the 16-room building have been evacuated and the building condoned off for safety.”

The incident happened two weeks after a building collapsed at Lekki, killing 34 persons.

Lamenting the frequency of building collapse in the state, the Lagos state government charged contractors and owners of the building to court.

The government also sacked the general manager of the Building Control Agency (LASBCA), and three other officials of the agency.