The death toll at the three terrace building under construction that collapsed in Lagos on Thursday has risen from three to five.
A statement giving update on the incident by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), said the total number of dead and rescued are five male adult respectively.
LEADERSHIP reports that LASEMA on Thursday, announced the collapse of a building at Arowojobe Estate in Maryland area of the state at about 3:49am.
The agency’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, further stated in the statement that the incident happened at No 13, Wilson Mba Street, Arowojobe Estate, Maryland, Lagos.
Oke-Osanyintolu said the three males that were recovered dead at the building were site workers.
“The agency received a distress call regarding a collapsed building at the above address at about 3.49 a.m.
“This prompted the immediate activation of the agency’s response team to the scene of the incident at 3.58 a.m. it was discovered that a set of three terraces under construction had collapsed.
“One of the rescued was receiving treatment on-site.
“Search and rescue operations began immediately, and three adult males were recovered dead, two male adults were rescued alive, and one adult male trapped under the rubble was rescued,” he said.
He added that the rescued ones were carried out of the site through the efforts of LASEMA and the Lagos State Fire Service.
“All the six men were site workers. They are receiving pre-hospital care on location while the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit has been contacted for the remains of the three fatalities.
“A combined team of agency personnel, fire service and Nigeria Police are working at the scene.
“LASEMA’s excavator has been deployed to accelerate the search and rescue operations,” he said.