LASEMA rescue 10 in Lagos building collapse, faults occupants for ignoring evacuation order

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has attributed the collapse of a two-storey building to the occupants’ negligence, as they ignored repeated warnings from the Lagos State Structure Control Agency (LASBCA) to vacate the premises.

The building collapsed on Thursday, May 30, trapping several occupants under the rubble.

However, LASEMA, along with other authorities, launched urgent search and rescue operations, successfully rescuing all 10 trapped occupants, who were then transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, confirmed the incident on his X account.

He stated, “A four-storey building has collapsed at Iga Iduganran, Lagos Island. Lagos State Emergency Management Agency officials have rescued eight people from the rubble. They are battling to retrieve two others from the rubble. The structure had been marked by LASBCA for evacuation.”

The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, explained that the building collapsed during renovation works, following a red flag raised by LASBCA about its unsafe condition.

He stated, “Investigation at the scene revealed that a four-storey building collapsed while a renovation was ongoing on the structure, which had been marked for evacuation because of its dilapidated state by the Lagos State Building Control Agency, but the occupants remained adamant. Seven adult males and three adult females have been rescued and transferred to the Iga-Iduganran Primary Health Centre by the agency’s paramedics for further medical attention.”

As of the time of reporting, search and rescue operations had concluded, but Oke-Osanyintolu noted that the controlled demolition of the building to ground zero was still underway.

This incident marks the second building collapse in Lagos within a few days.

On May 26, LASEMA blamed heavy overnight rainfall for the collapse of a two-storey building in the Surulere area of the state.

Although no lives were lost in that incident, it was noted that the structure had been in poor condition prior to the collapse.