Victims of landslides in Nigeria were pulled from rubble by neighbors

A luxury condominium with apartments sold at $1.2 million was turned into rubble after a collapse that buried up to 100 people and left an undefined number of people dead.

The building, called “Luxury in the Sky”, was located in an upscale area of ​​Lagos State, Nigeria. On Monday (1st), this building with more than 20 floors, and which was still under construction, collapsed.

The latest figures compiled by CNN International point to the death of at least ten people. Nine more survivors were pulled from the wreckage, according to Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat.

This Tuesday morning (02), voices could be heard asking for help under piles of rubble and twisted metal. Emergency teams are now rushing to rescue an unknown number of people still trapped in what should have been a seven-star hotel, according to promotional materials from the construction company responsible for the work, Fourscore Homes.

The building’s collapse aggravates growing concerns about building practices and the actions of regulatory bodies in Nigeria, where several buildings have collapsed in recent years.

Relatives seek information

Relatives eagerly awaiting news of their missing loved ones gathered around the rubble. One of them, Farati Bakare, was waiting to hear from his uncle, who he said had visited the site yesterday, but as the hours passed, his hopes for good news had dwindled.

Ibrahim Farinloye, of the national agency that coordinates the rescue operations, told reporters gathered at the scene on Tuesday that he had spoken with some people trapped in the rubble. Farinloye said he was hopeful that more people would be taken out alive.

“We hear voices,” Farinloye said. “After we communicated with them, we took action. Two excavators were placed in the area.”

anger and confusion

A bricklayer, who identified himself to CNN as Dragon, said he had left to fulfill an obligation when he saw the building collapse. He described seeing a corpse pulled from the rubble and people covered in dust after the tragedy. Dragon said he knew of at least seven other masons who were still missing.

Another missing person is 26-year-old Zainab Oyindamola Sanni, who is serving a mandatory internship at FourScore, the building’s builder. The family confirmed the disappearance to CNN. The girl’s brother, Fawaz Sanni, said she was among the people the rescuers spoke to. “They told me she’s still alive,” said Fawaz.

Locals in the area criticized the emergency services’ slow response after the collapse, with a witness telling CNN they waited four to five hours for the first teams to arrive.

Residents say that after the building collapsed, they heard a man shout: “People are dying!” In desperation, several residents began digging up what was left of the building with their bare hands, pulling three people out of the rubble before emergency services arrived.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said it had activated its emergency response plan, sending excavation equipment to the site.

The Nigerian Red Cross is also on the spot helping authorities.

Questions about the collapse

The building, located on Gerald Street, in the upscale neighborhood of the city of Ikoyi, is a construction site for luxury apartments, which were under construction for two years. A brochure of what would become the building features a depiction of elegant white buildings with swimming pools and other structures.

Lieutenant Governor Hamzat said the building, known as the “360 Degree Tower,” was sealed off in July by law enforcement officials because of illegalities.

A Lagos State spokesperson identified the building’s owner as Femi Osibona of Fourscore Homes and said Osibona “was taking corrective action when the incident happened.”

It is not known what caused the building to collapse.

(Translated text. Read the original here.)