2 die as building collapses in Lekki, Lagos

At least two persons have been confirmed dead in Lagos after a seven-storey building collapsed in the Lekki area of the state.

According to Channels Television, the building, which is under construction, caved in on Sunday morning.

It is situated at Oba Idowu Oniru Street by Ave Maria Hospital, near Sandfield Bus Stop, Lekki.

Although the immediate cause of the collapse is still sketchy, emergency workers and security operatives have already moved to the site to possibly rescue the trapped victims.

Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, and Lagos Territorial Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye both confirmed the incident.

They also confirmed that six persons were trapped and assured search and rescue operations have commenced at the site.

LASEMA said it responded to a distress call at the location at midnight and activated its response plan where six people were reported to have been trapped at the time.

The agency added that it needed to deploy a heavy-duty equipment excavator for the rescue of the trapped victims.

“Upon arrival at the scene of the incident, an uncompleted seven-storey building undergoing construction was found to have collapsed. Six people are reported to be trapped under the rubbles of the collapsed structure.

“The agency’s heavy-duty equipment excavator will be required for the rescue of the trapped victims. We have activated the Lagos State Response plan. Operation ongoing,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

Channels Television observed at the scene of the collapsed building that it had earlier been marked as a restricted zone by the Lagos State Building Control Agency since February 2021, with a sealed sign by the state government.

The affected building was earlier marked for demolition by the state government.

Meanwhile, operations are still ongoing to rescue more victims.

At least 44 people lost their lives last November when a high-rise building crumbled. Similarly in May, eight bodies were recovered after a three-storey building collapsed in Ebute-Metta.

Another building in the Ago Palace Way area of Lagos State collapsed on 7 May.

Credit: Channels Television