Lagos Building Collapse: Death Toll Rises, Victims Still Trapped (PHOTO)

Several people are still trapped under the rubble of an uncompleted 4-storey building that collapsed on November 4, 2013, Monday, in Victoria Island area of Lagos.

At the moment of filing the present report, at least four people were killed, several injured and 25 others have been rescued.

Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Fire Service, the police and other rescue agencies are at the scene trying to rescue trapped victims. The rescue operation was ongoing at the time of this report.

Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, the General Manager of LASEMA, said the rescue officials worked through the night, adding that his men had to relocate from the Great Nigeria House fire disaster scene to the scene of the collapsed building to save lives.

“At least 25 people have been rescued but unfortunately we recovered four dead bodies,” he stated.

Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, Lagos Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, said he could not ascertain the cause of the collapse, adding that government was bent on reducing incidents of collapsed buildings in the state.

Most of the affected people are artisans working on the collapsed uncompleted building when the tragedy occurred.

Mr. Rasak Fadipe, the Director of Lagos State Fire Service, stated that the collapsed building was under construction when it caved in, saying that emergency officials in the state responded promptly by arriving the scene of on time.

It would be noted that in the last 10 months, over 13 buildings have collapsed in Lagos. The government recently banned developers from constructing their buildings during public holidays, weekends and festive periods, saying that it had observed that it was during such periods that government officials were not watching that developers perpetrate illegality in building development. 
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