*Another distressed building sealed, occupants evacuated
Juliana Francis
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) today confirmed that at least nine people were pulled out dead from the rubble of the building, which collapsed at 32 Ibadan Street, Ebute-Meta, Lagos State on Sunday night.
The three-story building collapsed, trapping occupants, including children. It was also gathered that emergency response agencies had since raced to the scene and began the rescue operations.
The building was believed to have crumbled like a pack of cards at about 9: PM. Among the dead were a mother and her son. The son was believed to be in his late 20s and was called David.
The first rescue operation witnessed the pulling out of 27 people alive from the rubble, including children.
It was also gathered that an excavator arrived at the scene of the incident and began to search for people that were trapped.
NEMA national spokesman, Ibrahim Farinloye said: “All efforts are being made to ensure trapped victims are rescued but those who know the house well and the population of the occupants need to work with the rescue team to know the possible areas and angles of the house people are likely going to be trapped so that operator of the equipment is well guided.”
Agencies on the ground are Police, LASBCA, Fire and Rescue, LASEMA, NEMA, and Red Cross.
Another three-story building, located at 100 Lagos State, about 200 metres away from the current scene of building collapse has been sealed and its reluctant occupants removed.
It was gathered that the building showed signs of distress with parts falling off. The building had also been marked as distressed, but the occupants were deviant.
“However, the building has been resealed and occupants evacuated by officers of Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA),” said Farinloye.
As of the time of filing in this story, the dead bodies are nine, and the rescued victims are 24, but the rescue operation is still ongoing.
