How a building collapsed in the Yaba area of Lagos

A building under construction collapsed in the Yaba area of Lagos on Saturday with some workers reportedly trapped under the rubble.

The number of casualties is not yet known but officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency have arrived at the scene.

At least two workers have been rescued, according to LASEMA Director-General, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu. Rescue equipment has also been mobilised to the scene to aid the recovery of other workers.

One more dead body has been recovered from the three-storey building that collapsed in Yaba area of Lagos on Saturday afternoon.

This raised the death toll to three, while the number of rescued persons remained two, just as rescue efforts are still on.

Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, Zonal Coordinator, South-West, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), confirmed the development to newsmen on Saturday night.

Farinloye said that the building was said to have given signs with rubles falling from it on Thursday.

“It was gathered that when one of the neighbours called their attention to it, they told him off that it was as a result of work going on.

“However, close observations revealed that the building had tilted forward,” Farinloye said.

The Zonal Coordinator, however, said that proper investigation on the case of the collapse will be carried out by the state government.

This, he noted, is to determine the cause of the collapse after the emergency phase at the site.

The three-storey building collapsed at No. 16 Akanbi Crescent, off Adesina Street, Harvey, Yaba area of Lagos, trapping about five persons.

Building collapse is not uncommon in Lagos due to lax regulatory oversight and sharp practices by developers. In November a high-rise block of luxury flats under construction collapsed in the Ikoyi area of the state, killing at least 40 people.