A seven-storey building collapsed yesterday in the Banana Island area of Lagos state.
The building which was under construction collapsed on Wednesday, April 12. It was reported that some workers weretrapped under the rubble.
No fewer than seven persons were rescued from the rubble of a seven-storey building under construction that collapsed yesterday on First Avenue, in the Banana Island area of Ikoyi, Lagos State.
Emergency responders, who stormed the scene for rescue operation, were said to still be searching for the whereabouts of a victim that had been trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed structure.
It was gathered that construction workers were performing their daily tasks in the building that had been under construction for months when it suddenly caved in around 4.58pm.
It was learnt that while some of the workers at the site escaped unhurt with some sustaining varying degrees of injury, some other worker, who were unlucky, got trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed structure.
In a bid to rescue the trapped victims, some eyewitnesses, including the construction workers at the site of adjoining buildings within the premises, raised the alarm and alerted relevant emergency agencies who mobilized to the scene to commence rescue operations.
An eyewitness who was there in the course of the event said the construction workers were on the sixth floor of the building attempting to lay the seventh floor of the building when the tragedy struck.
He said, “As I speak with you, nobody has been confirmed dead and from the look of things, it is not certain that anybody will die. Only one victim is still trapped under the rubble of the collapsed structure.
“As the rescue operation is ongoing, the emergency workers are confirming the number of people rescued in line with the registered number of people at the site and also with the involvement of the developers who are on the ground.
“At the site, three buildings were under construction and only one of the three buildings under construction collapsed. The workers were working on the sixth floor and were trying to lay the seventh floor when the building collapsed.â€
It was gathered that the two other buildings under construction alongside the collapsed building are still intact but an integrity test would be conducted on the two buildings to prevent another collapse.
However, in a trending video showing moments shortly after the building collapsed, eyewitnesses while lamenting over the development, were heard urging people to rush a rescued victim to the hospital for treatment.
The rescued victim, who was seen wailing after surviving the tragedy, said, “I have been going to work but this work is different. I going to work but this work is different. I thank God. Nah God I go dey call, I thank God oo.â€
Reacting to the development, the General Manager, Lagos State Fire Service, Margaret Adeseye, said no fewer than seven persons were rescued with varying degrees of injury, adding that one person is still trapped.
Adeyese said, “The seven storey building that collapsed is one out of the three high-rise structures under construction. The other two nine-storey are still standing.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, in a statement posted on its Facebookpage, said no approval was given for the construction of the collapsed structure.
The statement read, “An unapproved seven-floor building under construction has collapsed in Banana Island, Lagos State, this evening.
“Few whom sustained injuries are being treated. There is no fatality. This unfortunate incident happened while casting was being done.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tayo Bamgbose Martins, was immediately on site to assess the situation and flag off the investigation.
However, the building that collapsed in Banana Island on Wednesday adds to a long list of building collapses recorded in the State in recent times.