No fewer than 18 persons, including a mother, her baby and 13 adults,
mainly construction workers, were killed on Tuesday, when a five-
storey incomplete building collapsed at the Lekki Gardens Estate
located beside the Chisco bus stop in the Ikate area of Lekki in Lagos.
Also 13 persons were rescued alive with varying degree of injuries
from the rubble, even as scores were still feared trapped under the
debris of the construction site.
THISDAY gathered that construction of the five-storey building, which
is one of two buildings under construction in the same compound,
started about four months ago and had 30 flats each.

Although rescue operations were still ongoing as at last night, the
casualty rate of 18 was the number of deceased persons brought out
from the debris of the collapsed building by yesterday evening.
It was gathered that the building collapsed at about 4.30 am following
a heavy downpour and winds that levelled it, burying scores of people
underneath the rubble.
Immediately news of the incident filtered out, emergency responders
drawn from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),
Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Federal and
State Fire Service and the police stormed the area.
The emergency workers, with the help of local rescuers, were at first
able to evacuate one body and rescued four survivors as at 7.30am.
By 7.49am, two more dead bodies were brought out, while the number
of survivors remained at four. By 8.08 am, another dead body was
brought out and another victim rescued, increasing the number of
dead persons and survivors to four and five respectively.
Another survivor was rescued at 8.48am and at 1.11pm, the total
figure of casualties and survivors remained at seven apiece.
The figure later changed to eight survivors and seven dead persons by
1.20pm and changed again to nine survivors at 2.27pm before it again
rose to 10 injured survivors at 3.11pm.
At 3.40pm, the death toll had risen to 11 persons and at 4pm, the body
of a middle-aged woman clutching her infant son was brought out
amidst tears by onlookers.
At exactly 4.30pm, two other persons were brought out alive but
before they could be moved to the ambulance, they breathed their last.
In an interview with THISDAY, NEMA South-west spokesperson, Mr.
Ibrahim Farinloye, said rescue operations would continue until they get
to the ground floor.
He said: “Those rescued alive were first treated by medical personnel
attached to the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) before
they were moved to Lagos General Hospital. The bodies of the dead
ones have since been deposited at the mortuary.”
On the possible cause of why the building collapsed, General Manager,
Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Shola Adeigbe,
blamed it on a structural defect.
He said: “I learned that there was an approval for the building from the
district officer. The materials used for the construction were of poor
quality. It was a foundation failure because it sank before collapsing.
“We will subject the entire building to structural stability test. The only
thing for us is to ensure that they construct with quality materials.”
Speaking on those still trapped underneath the building, the leader of
the Hausa community in the area, Babangida Bello, said they were able
to identify those that were still trapped.
He said: “I was informed that the building my brother works in
collapsed and so I rushed to the scene. We have been able to identify
the names and number of those that were trapped under the rubble.
They are Umar, Ado, Alu, Muhammed, Jemilu, Sabiu and Saminu.”
When THISDAY left the site last night, the official casualty rate had
risen to 18 while 13 survivors had been rescued.
Rescue efforts were ongoing all through the night with the aid of
hastily fixed lightening to ensure no one was still left trapped under the
rubble.
In addition, policemen from Ajah were deployed to secure the site. Also
at the scene was the Commander, Rapid Response Squad (RRS),
Tunde Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, who alongside his
men provided security.
They were assisted by security personnel drawn from the Nigerian
Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State Traffic
Management Authority ( LASTMA) and the neighbourhood watch.

Source: THISDAY