LAGOS, Nigeria — One person has been confirmed dead and three adult males have been rescued after a two-storey building under construction collapsed in the Fadeyi area of Lagos State. Several others are feared trapped beneath the rubble as emergency responders continue search and rescue operations.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Friday by its Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu. He said the building collapsed in the early hours of the day.
LASEMA received a distress call at 12:10 a.m. and activated its Cobra Response Team from the agency’s Onipanu base. The team arrived two minutes later, at 12:12 a.m., and found the structure had collapsed. Preliminary observations suggested construction workers may have been trapped.
Responders heard groaning sounds beneath the rubble, raising hopes that some of those trapped could still be alive. The agency brought in an excavator to remove debris and reach areas where victims were believed to be.
The three rescued men received pre-hospital care from LASEMA paramedics and personnel of the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) before being taken to hospital. Oke-Osanyintolu said the search would continue until responders establish whether other construction workers remain buried.
The response involved the LASEMA Response Team, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, LASAMBUS and officers of the Nigeria Police Force from Alagbon Division. Oke-Osanyintolu said the relevant regulatory agencies would investigate the circumstances of the collapse.
