One person has been confirmed dead and 13 others rescued after a three-storey building collapsed on Saturday in the Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos.
The building, which reportedly housed the popular Equal Right Restaurant, came crashing down around 8 a.m., catching residents and passersby unawares.
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It was said to be undergoing construction work at the time of the collapse.
Emergency response teams from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and other agencies were deployed to the scene following a distress call received by NEMA at 8:32 a.m.
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NEMA confirmed the casualty in a preliminary report, stating, “Twelve victims have been rescued so far, with one adult confirmed dead.”
However, that figure later rose to 13 rescued so far, including restaurant staff, customers, and an entire family who were inside the building when it gave way.
The cause of the collapse remains undetermined, but residents say they had long raised concerns about the structural integrity of the building.
“That building was a ticking time bomb,” one resident who spoke anonymously told Punch. “I barely went there to buy food because I was always afraid it would come down one day.”
LASEMA has attributed the incident to unapproved structural modifications.
“It was an old building converted into an eatery. Additional construction had been carried out on it before the structure finally collapsed,” said LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu.
He said five adult women were among those rescued and treated at the scene.
“We are proceeding methodically, using both heavy and light-duty equipment to get to ground zero,” Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said. “We have credible information that more people may still be under the rubble, so our search is ongoing, layer by layer.”
By Saturday evening, a joint rescue operation involving NEMA, LASEMA, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Nigeria Police, and other agencies was still underway.
NEMA and LASEMA have since cordoned off the site and launched a formal investigation.
“This is a serious warning against tampering with ageing structures,” Mr Oke-Osanyintolu warned, urging property owners to seek proper approvals before making alterations to existing buildings.
Building collapse epidemic
Saturday’s collapse is the second in Lagos within a few weeks.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that a building under construction at Northern Vulture Estate on Chevron Drive, Lekki, collapsed, claiming the lives of a teenage boy and two men.
LASEMA said six others were seriously injured in that incident.
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“A young boy, about 15 years old, and two adult males were recovered, confirmed dead, and subsequently bagged by emergency responders,” said Mr Oke-Osanyintolu.
The Lekki structure was later demolished after a full-scale search and rescue operation.
Investigations into the causes of both collapses are ongoing.
