Rescue efforts have ended at the scene where a four-story residential building collapsed and killed at least eight people in Lagos.
An Associated Press photographer reported that three more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the collapsed building.
According to AP, emergency officials earlier Wednesday said five people had died in Tuesday’s collapse. It is not known how many people had been inside the building in a poor neighborhood of Lagos. Officials have not said what caused the collapse.
Kehinde Adebayo with the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday afternoon that rescuers are giving way to investigators who will seek the cause of the collapse.
Authorities said at least 15 people had been rescued from the rubble of the building that collapsed Tuesday afternoon.
“There was confusion everywhere . after we were able to dig out, one of my sons came out unscratched through the grace of God but one of them, my last born, 12 years of age, Emeka was crushed to death,” said a survivor, Egwumu Chienye.
The incident was said to have occurred at about 3p.m. It was learnt that affected building owned by Kafo family , was initially a three storey building before an additional one storey was added. At press time, 14 victims according to the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Mr Adesina Tiamiyu , were rescued . Among them were children .
Rescue operations were led by officials of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA; Lagos State Fire Service, National Emergency Management Agency; NEMA Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Red Cross; Lagos State Ambulance Service, LASAMBUS and policemen.
According to a vanguard report, there were reportedly telephone calls from under the rubble , with trapped victims begging for help. Residents said that among those trapped was a pregnant woman.
The GM, LASEMA stated that heavy duty equipment was being used to search through the rubble, adding that the operation was being done with care in order not to endanger lives of trapped victims. A woman, who gave her name as Mrs Adeosun Akinfisoye, who resides on same street , said “ there was no sign of imminent collapse. We heard an explosion which caused everyone to take to his heels, only to discover later that it was a building that collapsed. People are still buried inside. A pregnant woman is among those under the debris.
