Lagos building collapse: death toll increases, people remain trapped.
The rubble of an uncompleted 4-storey , 2013, Monday, in Victoria Island area of Lagos is being cleared up. No fewer than 25 people were rescued.
It was learnt that rescue efforts ended on Tuesday afternoon after officials recovered the corpse of the architect of the building identified as Oyedele Oyeleke.
According to eyewitnesses, Oyeleke entered into the building some minutes before it collapsed.
It was learnt that most of the victims were rescued at midnight but the search continued for Oyeleke’s corpse.
Around 5.30 p.m. on November 5, 2013, Tuesday, the architect’s corpse was recovered and taken to a mortuary.
Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, the General Manager of LASEMA, said the rescue officials worked through the night, adding that his men had to relocate from
Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, Lagos Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, said he could not ascertain the cause of the collapse, adding that government was bent on reducing incidents of collapsed buildings in the state.
Most of the affected people are artisans working on the collapsed uncompleted building when the tragedy occurred.
Mr. Rasak Fadipe, the Director of Lagos State Fire Service, stated that the collapsed building was under construction when it caved in, saying that emergency officials in the state responded promptly by arriving the scene of on time.
It would be noted that in the last 10 months, over 13 buildings have collapsed in Lagos. The government recently banned developers from constructing their buildings during public holidays, weekends and festive periods, saying that it had observed that it was during such periods that government officials were not watching that developers perpetrate illegality in building development.
Source: Legit.ng
