Death toll from the collapsed high-rise building on Gerrard road in Ikoyi, Lagos has increased to 36

The death toll from the collapsed high-rise building on Gerrard road in Ikoyi, Lagos has increased to 36.

This was confirmed on Thursday morning by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

“So far, 36 people – 33 males and three female — have been confirmed dead, while there were nine survivors,” Acting Coordinator of the Lagos Territorial Office of the NEMA, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye wrote in a message to journalists.

The survivors include one female and eight male.

The operation to rescue those trapped in the rubble of the 21-storey building which collapsed on Monday afternoon, trapping dozens of people is still ongoing.

Families and friends of people trapped in the rubble have kept vigil at the scene, clinging onto hope and seeking answers, three days after the disaster.

The cause of the collapse has yet to be determined, but the governor has said there were obvious violations and “mistakes from all angles” in the tragedy.

Meanwhile, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has named the members of a panel of inquiry set up by the government to probe the building collapse in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Addressing reporters, family members, and sympathisers when he visited the site on Wednesday, he stated that the panel comprised five members and a secretary.

“I have set up a high-powered commission of inquiry consisting of five members who are top professionals in the country,” the governor said.

“Members of the panel include President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Tayo Ayinde; a foremost structural engineer, Akintilo Idris Adeleke; a partner with a leading architectural firm, Yinka Ogundairo; a foremost builder in the country, Godfrey O. Godfrey, and a lawyer and property expert, Mrs Bunmi Ibrahim.

“The secretary of the panel is a lawyer, Ekundayo Onajobi.”

The governor visited the scene alongside other top government officials, including the deputy governor of the state, Dr Obafemi Hamzat.