Collapsed school fence claims 1 life, injures another in Lagos

The accident happened in Apapa, Lagos.

A 35-year-old female trader was fear dead, while a man was injured when the fence of a primary school collapsed on Thursday at Apapa road, Costain, Lagos.

The incident happened at about 3.00 p.m. when the fence of St. Paul’s Catholic Nursery and Primary School collapsed.

The woman, whose identity was not immediately known, was selling sachet water beside the fence, while the injured man was hawking yoghurt.

A witness, Kudirat Taiwo, said the woman was attending to her customers when the fence suddenly collapsed, killing her and injuring the yoghurt hawker.

The witness said that the late nursing mother had been selling sachet water beside the fence for some time now, especially in the evenings.

Another witness said that the foundation of the fence had been eroded by flooding over the years.

“There was no concrete foundation before the fence was erected,” the witness, who pleaded anonymity, said.

Confirming the incident, Ibrahim Omotosho, an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), said at the scene that the fence did not give any sign before it collapsed.

Mr. Omotosho, directing traffic at Costain roundabout said, “The officials of the Lagos State Ambulance Point and Mainland Local Government immediately came to the rescue of the victims shortly after the incident.”

He said the woman was immediately confirmed dead by the medical team at the rescue point, while the injured yoghurt seller was given first aid treatment.

Efforts made by correspondents to speak with the medical team proved abortive.

Also, the security guard at the school said the school’s authorities had gone to Iponri Police Station to report the incident.

(NAN)