The Lagos State Emergency Agency has said that four persons died while five were rescued alive in the building collapse which occurred in the state on Saturday.
LASEMA’s Head of Public Affairs, Nosa Okunbor, made this known in a statement on Sunday titled, ‘Final Update on the collapsed four-floor building of Saturday, May 21, 2022, at 4 Alayaki Lane, Lagos Island’.
He said, “After several hours of intense overnight Search and Rescue Operation coordinated by the Permanent Secretary LASEMA, Dr Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, and combined efforts of three LASEMA Response Teams from Lekki, Cappa and the Alausa Command Control Center, a total of five adult males were rescued (alive) and taken to nearest hospitals for further treatment.
“However, four adult males were recovered (dead), bagged and handed over to officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit, SEHMU to be processed further after being deposited at the mortuary.
“Remains of the self-collapsed four-floor building were then taken down to ground zero by the Agency with the use of its heavy-duty equipment-the Excavator, thereby eliminating any further threat to lives and all other proximal properties.
“Other primary responders present includes the LASAMBUS, LASG Fire Service, LABCA, SEHMU, Federal Fire Service, NEMA, Red Cross, LNSC and NPF.”
Also, the Zonal Coordinator South-West, National Emergency Management Agency, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, said that further investigation into the incident showed that the collapsed building under construction was located within a compound and it was a frame structure as at the time of the incident.
He said that the third suspended slab concrete was already in place with ongoing internal partition.
“The building crumbled during a downpour at about 1:45 p.m. Saturday.
“The building was bequeathed to the family members and some of the family members awarded it to a developer who was converting the bungalow building into a three-storey building before it collapsed,” Farinloye said.
According to the NEMA boss, Alayaki Lane where the building is located, contains a cluster of buildings and the rescue operation was hampered by the lack of space.
He said for now no one had claimed that a relative is missing.
