Three dead and dozens injured is the tragic account of the collapse of a skyscraper under construction that occurred today Monday (1/11) in Lagos Of Nigeria. But the death toll and injuries could rise sharply as well dozens of workers remain trapped under the rubble.
This building, located on one of the most aristocratic avenues of Lagos, collapsed at noon, while dozens of workers were at the construction site, broadcasts APE-MPE.
Officials were initially unable to say how many people were trapped, but builders and neighbors battled to free people from the rubble of the 25-storey building in the Ikoi district, according to AFP correspondents at the scene.
«It is a 25-storey building still under construction. Many workers were trapped under the rubble. We are trying to save them, “said Femi Oke-Osanindolou, head of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency. “The rescue operation is ongoing,” he added.
Dozens of people were inside the building
According to locals and workers who were there, some of whom were covered in dust, dozens of people were inside when the building collapsed.
“Nearly 40 people were inside the building, I saw ten corpses because I climbed,” said one worker, 26-year-old Peter Ajagbe. “One of my colleagues is dead.”
Agence France-Presse reporters saw at least one man unconscious being transported away from the rubble. “I went out to buy food and saw the building collapse,” Latif Sitou said. “I feel very bad because the people inside the building all have families.”
The Ikoi district is one of the most modern residential and business districts of Lagos, the financial capital of almost 20 million inhabitants.
The collapse of buildings in the country is a common phenomenon
Building collapses are common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, where construction legislation is often violated due to the use of poor quality building materials.
In October, a building under construction in Ikoi collapsed, killing eight people and seriously injuring 10. In March of that year, 20 people were killed when a building housing a kindergarten and a primary school collapsed.
In one of the worst disasters in 2014, 116 people were killed after the collapse of a six-storey building where a famous Nigerian tele-evangelist, TB Joshua, was preaching.
The investigation found omissions in the construction of the building, the construction of which was illegal.
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