5 Die as Building Collapse in Yaba, Lagos Nigeria

A three storey building on Saturday collapsed at No. 16, Akanbi Crescent, off Adesina Street, Harvey, Sabo, Yaba area of Lagos, trapping five persons.

Vanguard learnt that so far, two people survived the incident, out of them was a teenager who escape by luck after he complained of hunger and was given money to go and buy food. Minutes after leaving the building, the structure collapsed.

The second survivor was said to be rescued by sympathisers immediately after the collapse.

On the rescue and recovery operations, Farinloye said this was carried out by NEMA, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, the fire service and the Police.

An additional body was on Sunday, recovered from the rubbles of the three-storey building that collapsed in Yaba area of Lagos, bringing the total casualty figure to five.

The latest body identified as Damola, was recovered at about 4.22pm while Vanguard was still at the scene of the incident on Sunday.

As search and rescue was ongoing, Damola’s relatives were said to have  reported that their son was missing and that he was supposed to be on site at the time of the building collapse.

True to their words, Damola’s body was recovered on Sunday evening and this changed the already calm atmosphere as a scene was later created when Damola’s mother fainted on noticing the recovery.  

She was later percified by the emergency teams on ground.

Damola’s family members also acccompanied the berieved mother to the scene but none of them was willing to talk to Vanguard when approached by our correspondent.

However, information gathered at the scene revealed that Damola was on his mandatory Industrial Training  to the scene when the incident occured. 

A resident of the area Mr Ibrahim Alogba said, “the boy has not been coming to the site for some time until she showed up yesterday. Her mother was optimistic that he would be rescued unfortunately, the reverse was the case and she fainted,” she said.

The relatives broke into tears except an elderly man among them who summoned the courage to identify the body before it was bagged. 

Also at the scene was a young man who gave his name as John Lar,  whose brother, Monday Lar was recovered dead in the early hours of Sunday.

In a chat with Vanguard, he said the late brother, 31 years old Monday Lar was earning a living as a guard before the unfortunate incident occured. 

He said, “We are from Plateau State and both of us were working here before I left  for Ajah in November 2021. My brother was married with three children.

“He was a guard while I was a labour but I left the site when I got another offer in Epe. I was in my place of work yesterday when I got a call from a neighbour about the unfortunate incident and I rushed here.

“He was recovered dead and deposited at the mortuary but I am still waiting to retrieve his belongings kept by a neighbour after which I will travel home to inform our people.

“His death is unfortunate but what can we do ? I would have been among the victims if not that I got another offer,” he said. 

Confirming the death toll, National Emergency Management Agency NEMA, Lagos Territorial Office Coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye said five persons were trapped underneath the rubbles.

The NEMA Zonal Coordinator added that residents of the area mobilised resources to rescue the only survivor from the rubble.

Farinloye said that out of the two survivors of the collapsed building, only one of them was actually trapped.

VG