Olushola Omogbehin
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has rescued 27 persons and evacuated nine bodies at the site of the collapsed two-storey building at Alakija in Lagos.
The building according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) collapsed at about 12:47 p.m. on Thursday in the Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos.
LASEMA’s Head of Public Affairs, Mr Afolabi Olawale, in a statement on Friday said the agency immediately activated its emergency response teams.
LASEMA said its Sharks Response Team from Lekki Base and Alpha Cobra Squad from Onipanu got to the scene within 40 minutes alongside other emergency responders.
Emergency responders involved in the operation included the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority.
Also involved in the rescue operation are: Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Red Cross and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).
LASEMA Further explained that all the rescued victims were immediately care for by LASAMBUS before taken to nearby hospitals for further treatment.
Among the victims, four adults were confirmed dead before emergency responders arrived and five additional victims, including a two-year-old girl.
The Agency said that the remains were handed over to the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit for identification and release to their families.
The agency said rescue operations ended at about 4:00 a.m. on Friday after responders reached ground zero.
LASEMA also revealed that Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had directed LASBCA to immediately assess the structural integrity of adjoining buildings and enforce compliance with building regulations in the area.
Expressing condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured speedy recovery, the agency appealed to residents to without delay report distressed buildings to LASBCA or through LASEMA’s toll-free emergency lines which are 112 and 767.
