By Job Osazuwa
Eight persons have been confirmed dead as a three-storey building collapsed at 24 Ibadan Street Off Murtala Mohammed Way, in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos State.
The incident occurred at 10.30pm on May 1, prompting emergency agencies to swing into action.
No fewer than 23 persons including children were said to have been rescued alive, leaving some of them with varying degrees of injuries.
The occupants were said to be in their various apartments and some of them already asleep when the building suddenly collapsed and trapped most of them.
Immediately, emergency agencies were alerted as some residents resorted to self-help by searching the rubble to rescue the trapped victims even before the responders arrived the scene.
Emergency agencies including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Fire, Red Cross Society of Nigeria and other rescue services, including the police rushed to the scene and commenced a search and rescue operation for the victims.
The acting coordinator, Lagos Territorial Office, NEMA, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the death of the eight occupants, adding that the collapsed structure had been marked for demolition.
His words: “Another three-storey building, on Lagos Street, about 200 metres away from the current scene has shown signs of distress with part throwing pebbles and falling off.
“The building had also been marked as distressed but the occupants were deviant.
“However, the building has been re-sealed and occupants evacuated by officers of Lagos State Buildings Control Agency.
“Eight deaths including five males and two females. 23 people have been rescued alive including seven children and 16 adults.”
The Permanent Secretary, LASEMA, Mr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, in a statement late Sunday night, had said some of the injured victims were rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for urgent treatment.
He said: “On arrival at the incident scene, an old three-storey building comprising rooms and parlour was discovered to have collapsed.
“Further information gathered revealed that the incident occurred around 10.56pm with an undetermined number of people trapped.”
He also confirmed the number of casualties and rescued victims to be eight and 23 respectively.
Meanwhile, the landlord’s son in care of the collapsed building who was formerly living in the house has disclosed that he has since given the occupants of the building notice to evacuate but they refused to adhere to the quit notice.
He revealed that he had to leave the building and rented an apartment in the same vicinity.
He further stated that the tenants and other occupants stopped paying rent to anyone for long.
LASEMA’s Public Relations Officer, PRO, Mr. Nosa Okunbor said out of the 23 rescued alive by the emergency responders, 22 were males.