Lagos collapsed building: School owner, pregnant woman, 12 pupils die

Gov Abiodun congratulates Charles Akinola on appointment as Managing Director, South West Development Commission

Oba Adenugba congratulates Tele Ogunjobi on appointment as Executive Director, South West Development Commission

Senator Salisu Shuaib donates solar power system, laptops to Ogun NUJ

A pregnant woman, the proprietress of the nursery/Primary school and 19
others, including no fewer than 12 pupils died in the collapsed
building at Massey Street, Itafaji on Lagos Island on Wednesday,
witnesses and hospital sources said.

One of the victims being taken away by LASEMA officials

However, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said eight
persons died, while 34 others were rescued in the wreckage of the
building that collapsed at about 10 am.

Lagos State Emergency Management Agency did not give the number of
the dead, but said it rescued 10 persons out of the wreckage. The agency
said its rescue team and other agencies brought out 10 people alive,
made up of 3 adult females, 1 adult male, 2 teenage boys, 1 young boy
and 3 teenage girls.

The South-West Zonal Head of Public Affairs of the Agency, Mr Ibrahim
Farinloye said the rescue operation was ongoing as at 8pm.

NAN gathered that most of the victims were rescued from the rubble on
Wednesday, but died at the General Hospital as doctors failed to save
them.

NAN learnt that the pregnant woman was one of the persons rescued
from the rubble, immediately after the building collapsed, but she died
in the hospital.

Other persons reported dead as at 8pm included the proprietress of
the school, Ohen Nursery and Primary School, about 12 pupils and some
other occupants of the building.

NAN gathered that about 10 different families occupied the first and
the ground floors, while the school occupied the second and fourth
floors.

The building at 63 Massey Street, it was learnt had been marked for
demolition by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency.

However, the occupants of the building frustrated the demolition.

NAN further learnt that 17 of the rescued students and occupants of
the building were taken to Massey Children Hospital, very close to the
scene, while others were taken to the Lagos Island General Hospital on
Broad Street.

A worker at the Massey Children Hospital, who spoke with NAN on
condition of anonymity said that four out of those brought in, died few
minutes after.

The medical staff said that six of those who were rushed to the Lagos General Hospital also died.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who visited the scene said the government would ensure that the trapped victims were rescued.

The school moved to the collapsed building some years ago.

Distraught parents of pupils and residents of the building jammed
the scene of the rescue operation hoping that their children and
relatives would come out alive.

Miss Bukola Salami, a former staff teacher in the school who spoke
with NAN said the proprietress of the school had been told to vacate the
building but she balked on account that she had no money to rent
another apartment.

”It was because of the situation of the building that forced me to
resign from the school in December, because I don’t want to risk my
life.

“It is unfortunate that such incident happened. It looks like a dream to me,” she said.

A resident of the collapsed building, who simply gave his name as
Akin said that the building was marked for demolition but that the
developer found a way to stop the demolition.

Akin said he had gone to work, when he received the news of the
incident. He also stated that the owner did some renovation two years
ago.

A neighbour, Mr Adewale Owoso likened the moment the building collapsed to a bomb explosion.

“We were just sitting down in front of the school, when we heard a loud sound .

“We all ran into different directions but after the dust had settled, we realised that it was the building that collapsed.

“We quickly mobilised and began some rescue operation and we had
rescued more than twenty people, before the emergency workers arrived,”
he said.

Mrs Aishat Onilenla said, three of her sister’s children were
trapped in the collapsed building. ‘My friend has seven children also
trapped in the rubble”, she said.

“ I don’t know how she is going to survive it. It is too big for her to bear,” she said.

The deputy speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Wasiu
Esinlokun, who visited the scene of the incident, said that a notice for
demolition was served on the building on Tuesday, a day before the
building collapsed.

Esinlokun, while speaking with journalists said that the Lagos State
Government would ensure that victims of the incident are treated free.

As at 8.30pm, NAN gathered that some of the parents whose children
died in the hospital had gone to pick up the corpses for burial.