Death toll rises to five

Five people have been confirmed dead after a three-storey building collapsed in the Ojodu Berger area of Lagos State on Saturday.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), which initially reported one death during Saturday’s rescue operation at the incident site, updated Sunday morning with news of four additional fatalities.

The agency’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said in a statement Sunday morning that five adult fatalities had been recovered and taken to the morgue, so far. Apparently, the number of rescued individuals remains at 13, as reported on Saturday. Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said the survivors were receiving pre-hospital care.

“All first responders remain on the scene to continue search and rescue operations. Further updates to follow,” Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the building — which housed the popular Equal Right Restaurant — came crashing down around 8 a.m., trapping several occupants and passersby.

Eyewitnesses said the structure was undergoing construction work at the time of the incident.

It was said to be undergoing construction work at the time of the collapse.

Emergency response teams from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and other agencies were deployed to the scene following a distress call received by NEMA at 8:32 a.m.

NEMA confirmed the casualty in a preliminary report, stating, “Twelve victims have been rescued so far, with one adult confirmed dead.”

However, that figure later rose to 13 rescued so far, including restaurant staff, customers, and an entire family who were inside the building when it gave way.

The cause of the collapse remains undetermined, but residents say they had long raised concerns about the structural integrity of the building.

“That building was a ticking time bomb,” one resident who spoke anonymously told Punch. “I barely went there to buy food because I was always afraid it would come down one day.”

LASEMA has attributed the incident to unapproved structural modifications.

“It was an old building converted into an eatery. Additional construction had been carried out on it before the structure finally collapsed,” said LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Oke-Osanyintolu.

He said five adult women were among those rescued and treated at the scene.

“We are proceeding methodically, using both heavy and light-duty equipment to get to ground zero,” Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said. “We have credible information that more people may still be under the rubble, so our search is ongoing, layer by layer.”

READ ALSO: UPDATED: One dead, 13 rescued as three-storey building collapses in Lagos

By Saturday evening, a joint rescue operation involving NEMA, LASEMA, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Nigeria Police, and other agencies was still underway.

NEMA and LASEMA have since cordoned off the site and launched a formal investigation.

“This is a serious warning against tampering with ageing structures,” Mr Oke-Osanyintolu warned, urging property owners to seek proper approvals before making alterations to existing buildings.