The Lagos State Government and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have differed on the casualties recorded from the Ikoyi building collapse as rescue efforts continue.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, who visited the scene on Thursday, noted that 32 bodies have been recovered from the building collapse.
“As of this afternoon, we have recovered a total of 32 bodies. We are conducting a corona inquest on the bodies and by tomorrow (Friday), we hope the exercise would have been concluded,” the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, quoted his principal as saying.
“That is the deadline we gave to the corona so that the families can come and identify the bodies recovered so far.”
But earlier in the day, NEMA’s Acting Coordinator of the Lagos Territorial Office, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye had said 38 people were confirmed dead following the collapse of the high-rise, explaining that nine survivors – one female and eight male – were rescued from the rubble.
‘Only 19 Names’
Amid continued rescue efforts, families and relatives are hanging around the collapsed structure in the high-brow area of Lagos State, waiting for news about their loved ones trapped in the building.
According to Governor Sanwo-Olu, some families have submitted names of missing people, just a day after a register was opened.
“Yesterday (Wednesday), we opened a register for people that have missing persons or loved ones whom they believed must have been at the site before the collapse,” the Lagos governor added in a statement by his aide.
“As I speak here, there are only 19 names of missing persons that have been registered. Some of them have pictures, others do not. This list would help us to get information on the manifest of those at the site.”
Before now, Sanwo-Olu had visited some of the survivors who are receiving treatment at the Lagos Island General Hospital.
One of the rescued persons has, however, been moved to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja for advanced medical examination, the governor explained but assured that he is not having a life-threatening condition.
Three of the survivors have been discharged two days ago.
The building, which was under construction, collapsed on Monday with an unconfirmed number of persons feared trapped.
