The death toll from the collapse of a high-rise building in Ikoyi, a highbrow area in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, has risen to 36, the emergency services said Thursday.
The 21-storey building under construction in the Ikoyi district of Lagos crumbled on Monday afternoon, trapping dozens of people working on the site.
Building collapses are tragically common in Africa’s most populous country, where millions live in dilapidated structures and construction standards are routinely ignored.
Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, the General manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), told newsmen:
“So far, 36 people- 33 males and three female, have been confirmed dead, while there were nine survivors.”
Distraught families and friends of people trapped in the rubble have been waiting for days outside the scene as rescue operations unfold.
The emergency services said on Wednesday that 22 bodies had been recovered but more were found later in the day.
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Ibrahim Farinloye of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed the new toll on Thursday, November 4, 2021.
He said rescuers “won’t give up until we reach ground zero,” adding that bigger equipment was brought in Tuesday evening for the operation.
The number of people present on the site at the time of the collapse is still unknown.
Building collapses happen frequently in densely populated areas of Lagos, which is home to approximately 20 million people.
Farinloye said also confirmed that two other smaller buildings also collapsed in Lagos on Tuesday following heavy rains, although no one was killed.
Poor workmanship and materials and a lack of official oversight are often blamed for the collapse of these structures.
Meanwhile, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said on Wednesday that the incident was a “terrible national disaster,” adding that “mistakes were made.”
He said he was setting up an independent panel to probe the causes of the collapse and prevent similar incidents in the future.
