Kayode Shopekan
ONE person has been confirmed dead while three rescued so far at the site of a 21-storey building under construction that collapsed around 1 pm on Monday at Gerard Road, Ikoyi in Lagos.
One of the survivors, David by name, a worker at the building site who spoke with Prime Business Africa, confirmed that many were still trapped inside the building. He said he was lucky to have survived the incident as he had just gone out to charge his phone when the building suddenly collapsed.
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On the level of response for rescue operations at the site, an eye witness said there is a poor response by emergency officials
He said, “Our response level to emergency in this part of the world is pretty poor and depressing. For a collapse that happened at about 1:30 pm, the emergency officials only came at about 4:05 pm,” the eyewitness said.
Some officials of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) were said to have arrived at the scene around 4 pm to manage the situation.
An excavator was brought to the scene at about 5:50 pm to remove the rubbles and rescue the people still trapped inside.
Fire Service officers also came coupled with police and army apparently to ensure that the situation does not turn chaotic as people were seen around the site standing and talking with agitating tone about the incident.
It is still unclear the cause of the collapse, but a document circulating on social media which Prime Business Africa cannot confirm its authenticity seems to have been a warning by the engineering consultancy firm handling the project which withdrew its service following its observation that its specifications for construction of the structure were no longer followed.
Details of the cause of the incident are still sketchy, it is unclear if anyone is trapped inside the structure.
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