A tragic building collapse occurred early Saturday on Oremeta Street in the Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos State, leaving one person dead and 13 others rescued, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The incident, which happened around 8 am, involved a building housing a local restaurant. Witnesses reported a sudden collapse as some workers arrived at the site.
A resident, who asked not to be named, revealed that the building had been under construction at the time.
The resident said that no sooner had some of the workers at the restaurant arrived than it caved in.
However, the South-West Coordinator of NEMA, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, said, “(The) cause of the collapsed building has yet to be ascertained as of the time of writing this report.
“Twelve victims have been rescued, one adult dead.”
Search and Rescue Operations Ongoing
Emergency responders from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) are currently at the scene, working to reach what officials described as “ground zero” in search of any remaining trapped victims.
LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Damilola Oke-Osanyitolu, in an interview, said the emergency responders on the ground would “get to ground zero” for other victims still trapped under the rubble.
He said, “A two-storey building collapsed; we’ve activated the Lagos State Emergency response plan under the watch of the Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and you can see that we’re painstaking in the way we’re responding and the operation is ongoing.
“I need to remind the good people of Lagos State to remain cool, calm and collected.
“We’re working with all the local people; we’re working with all the primary responders and we’re on top of the situation.”
Responding to the concern of some of the residents that many could still be trapped, he said, “There’s no roll call but the most important thing is that we’re going to get to ground zero.
“By the time we get to ground zero, we’ll see everything that is in there and we’re going to give a comprehensive report. The governor is aware of the situation and has been coordinating the response plan.”
Residents Blame The Contractor
Some residents have criticized the construction methods used on the building.
The resident, who pleaded anonymity, also said the owner of the restaurant had not arrived when the incident occurred.
“We’re concerned about the people inside that place for now. I don’t know the number of people there but some people have been rescued.
“What they are using (for the rescue operation) is not the right machine and I have been telling them about that, that they should bring a better machine that will be able to remove the concrete instead of breaking it and injuring the people under the building.
“The engineer did not do the right thing; if you build a house and create a decking, you don’t need to leave it like that for a long time because of the rain. The engineer who was working on the building should have started working from the ground floor, not on the decking because you’re putting the weight on the ground floor,” he added.
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