One person has died and three others have been rescued alive after a two-storey building under construction collapsed in the early hours of Friday on Akinola Street, near Fadeyi Bus Stop, off Ikorodu Road, Lagos State.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed the incident in a statement by its Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu.
According to the agency, it received a distress call about the collapse at 12:10 am on Friday, prompting the immediate activation of its Cobra Response Team from the Onipanu Base.
The team arrived at the scene at 12:12 am and began search and rescue operations amid reports that construction workers were trapped beneath the rubble.
LASEMA said emergency responders heard groaning sounds beneath the debris, raising hopes that some of the trapped persons were still alive. An excavator was subsequently deployed to facilitate the rescue operation.
Three adult males were rescued alive and given immediate pre-hospital care by LASEMA paramedics and the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) before being transported to a hospital for further treatment.
However, one body was recovered from the rubble.
The agency said search and rescue operations were ongoing to determine whether more people remained trapped beneath the debris.
Other emergency responders at the scene included the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and officers of the Nigeria Police Force from Alagbon Division.
LASEMA said the cause of the collapse had yet to be established, adding that relevant regulatory agencies would investigate the incident.
Oke-Osanyintolu commiserated with the family of the deceased and wished the rescued victims a speedy recovery.
