by ‘Jola Sotubo

Tragedy struck in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State yesterday when a building in the area collapsed leaving no less than 3 people dead and 15 others with varying degrees of injury.

The building, a five storey shopping complex located at 9,  Muri Okunola Street, was still being constructed when it collapsed unexpectedly.

According to reports, despite the rescue of the 15 lucky persons, a yet unascertained number of people might still be trapped under the rubble of the fallen complex.

Vanguard Newspaper reports:

At 8:30p.m., when Vanguard visited the scene, it was gathered that scores of persons might still be trapped under the debris.

At the scene, officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Red Cross and men of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, attached to the Maroko Station, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Lagos Command, were sighted still battling to rescue the trapped persons.

Of the 15 rescued, five are said to be in critical conditions and have been admitted at the Accident and Emergency Centre, Toll Gate, Ikeja while others were admitted at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, hospital, few metres away from the scene. It was learnt that the construction workers were casting the decking and the pillars when the building caved-in on them at about 4:00p.m.

An eyewitness, Mr. Adetayo Olaseni stated: “The building collapsed at about 4:00p.m. while construction works were still ongoing. This led to pandemonium, as everyone scampered for safety.”

Another eye-witness, Miss Blessing Osundare said: “I  heard a loud bang and all I saw was that the entire building had collapsed on the workers. While some escaped unhurt, others are still trapped under the debris.

“I can’t say this is the number of people here, but I know that they were more than 60 persons working at the site.”

Confirming the tragedy, the General Manager of  LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu said: “A twin four-storey building located at Muri Okunola Street, Victoria Island collapsed.”

“Fifteen persons have been rescued so far while three corpses  have been recovered from the debris.

“Rescue operations are still on-going and we are assuring residents that they should not panic. We are on top of the issue.”