By Leshi Adebayo
The death counts from the collapse of the 21-storey building in Ikoyi, Lagos has increased to 36.
This was disclosed by the emergency services on Thursday.
It could be recalled that the 21-storey building under construction in the Ikoyi district of Lagos collapsed and trapped dozens of people working on the building, on Monday afternoon.
According to AFP, General Manager of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Mr Femi-Osanyintolu, “So far, 36 people — 33 males and three female — have been confirmed dead, while there were nine survivors.”
On Wednesday, the available emergency services at the venue, said that 22 bodies had been recovered, but more were found later the same day.
Again, on Thursday, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed the new toll of 36 deaths.
He said that rescuers will not give up until they reach the base of debris. According to him, on Tuesday evening, bigger equipment were brought in for the operation.
Currently, the total number of people present on the site when it collapsed is still unknown.
Farinloye stated that, building collapses happen frequently in densely populated areas of Lagos.
He claimed that two other smaller buildings in Lagos, also collapsed on Tuesday due to heavy rains, though no one was killed.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday said that the incident was a “terrible national disaster”, noting that “mistakes were made”.
He confirmed that he was setting up an independent panel to investigate the causes of the collapse and prevent similar occurrences in the future.
