Three-Storey Building Collapsed 48 Buried Alive

This is happened one week after a similar incident occurred at Ilasamaja area of the state, where two persons lost their lives and 17 others rescued alive. As at 5.30p.m yesterday, the bodies of a bricklayer, identified simply as Baba Ibeji, and that of a five-year-old girl, Farida Ajitayo, were recovered from the debris dead.

A three-storey building located on 9, Daddy Alaja Street, Oke-Arin, Idumota, Lagos Island, collapsed yesterday , burying 48 occupants alive, among which were two children and a nursing mother.

Meanwhile, 14 occupants were rescued alive. Among them were a six-month-old baby and her mother, who spent close to five hours under the debris before help came.

The three-storey building, with a penthouse, which caved in at about 7:20a.m., fell on an adjourning building occupied by over six families. Marked for demolition

The building, which had warehouses on its ground floor and residential apartments on the other floors, was said to have been marked for demolition by Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA . While some occupants reportedly moved out, others remained following plans by its landlord to carry out renovation work on it.

Renovation work was ongoing when it caved in. Many of the injured victims were artisans contracted for the renovation works. The ground floor and first floor reportedly sank into the earth, burying undisclosed number of occupants. Among those rescued alive were occupants of the second and third floors.

A resident, who identified himself as Ali, hinted that the bricklayers had commenced work for the day before the building collapsed, saying “I saw them mixing cement and sand on the first floor this morning. “Baba Ibeji was on the staircase to the second floor mixing the cement when the building caved in on him. He was removed from the debris, dead.”

“Baba Ibeji was on the staircase to the second floor mixing the cement when the building caved in on him. He was removed from the debris, dead.” We sealed thrice—LASBCA LASBCA disclosed that the occupants were evacuated and building sealed thrice before its eventual collapse. Acting General Manager of LASBCA, Joseph Oyewale, said: “The building was erected on a swampy area, which was filled with refuse by the residents.