Four persons have died and five others rescued as a building under construction collapsed in the Badagry area of Lagos State on Wednesday.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), confirmed the figures in an update.
“Nine Casualties who were construction workers were recorded of which five adult males were rescued and taken to the hospital for medical treatment while four adult males were recovered dead from the rubbles and taken to Badagry General Hospital by Police Officers from Area K in the company of family members for documentation,” the agency posted on its social media handle.
Earlier, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service had said that the victims, who were mainly construction workers, were rescued with varying degrees of injury but in stable condition and been taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.
“However, 4 (four) adults male have been recovered (unconscious) thus far as the Nigerian Police, Morogbo Division, and the community dwellers are complementing the efforts of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service,” the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said about the building located at Sunny Filled, Flour Mills, Estate, Magbon in Badagry.
In the update, the agency said efforts were ongoing to rescue other people trapped in the building.
Wednesday’s incident is coming two weeks after a 21-storey structure collapsed in the Ikoyi area of the state. Over 40 persons died in thE incident with several others injured.
The development elicited reactions from many quarters with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State admitting that “mistakes were made from all angles”.
“This is an event that could be described clearly as a national disaster. Mistakes were made from all angles,” the governor said, days before he set up a Tribunal of Enquiry to probe the incident.
Sanwo-Olu added that “the panel’s terms of reference also include ascertaining whether there was a compromise of the building codes by the developer, his contractor, and statutory regulatory agencies.
“The panel will be finding out who the culprits are. The investigation will start with the heads of regulatory agencies.
“Be rest assured that if there are other people found wanting in the course of the investigation, everybody will face the full wrath of the law.”
