AfriPulse
Two construction workers have been rescued alive after spending four harrowing days trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos State.
The building, located at 333 Borno Way, Alagomeji, caved in on Friday around 7:46 pm, leaving several people trapped.
According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which has been leading the search and rescue operations, the workers were pulled out after days of painstaking effort by emergency responders.
In its Day 2 incident report released on Saturday, NEMA confirmed that the body of a male victim had earlier been recovered from the debris, even as rescue teams continued combing through the collapsed structure.
Addressing newsmen at the location of the incident on Monday, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, however, said four persons had so far been recovered dead, while six were rescued.
According to him, among the six rescued victims, two were brought out of the rubble on Monday morning at about 11am.
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He noted that the victims were immediately rushed to a hospital for free emergency treatment provided by the state government.
He said, “It is now on record that we rescued six people. It is pathetic, and we sympathise with the families of the victims whose bodies were recovered from the rubble. We were able to recover four bodies.
“Since Friday, we have been working morning, afternoon, and night. As of 11am today, we rescued two people, and they are receiving adequate treatment. You will recall that in Lagos State, emergency treatment is free of charge.”
Oke-Osanyintolu further urged residents to remain calm and reassured them that preventive measures were being put in place to avoid a repeat of the tragedy.
The LASEMA boss also explained that the cause of the incident was yet unknown, adding that search and rescue operations were ongoing.
“We can’t say the cause really, we have to be holistic and empirical about it because we don’t want a repeat incident. When the results are out, we will be able to tell you the cause.
However, the search and rescue is still ongoing. All the buildings that may have suffered secondary impact have been directed to undergo solid material testing because we don’t want a secondary disaster. We are on top of this,” he stated.
Building collapses remain a recurring tragedy in Lagos, with experts blaming poor structural integrity, substandard materials, and disregard for building regulations.
(Punch)
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