The
death toll from the collapsed five-storey building in Ikate, Lekki, Lagos, has
risen to 35 with being rescued.
One
of the survivors taken from the rubble died at the Lagos Island General
Hospital; 18 bodies were pulled out before rescuers left the site on
Tuesday.
National
Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Southwest spokesman Ibrahim Farinloye, in a
message at about 7.30pm, said: “Operations concluded
at 7.20pm with 34 dead and 13 rescued after reaching ground zero.
“Investigation
on the cause of the collapse has started by various federal and state
agencies.”
Lagos
State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) boss Michael Akindele said 95 per
cent of the victims were foreigners.
He
said: “As we speak now, the time is 7:20pm. Search and rescue exercise on
the collapsed five-storey building of 12 blocks of flats is hereby concluded
and the physical record we have is 13 lives rescued and 34 bodies.
“We
had full complement of all responders on board to ensure smooth response and
recovery. It is a sad story; but notwithstanding, our job as responders is to
ensure that we mitigate such that all necessary actions are taken.
“The
greatest challenge we had was on Tuesday and it was because the
families of the deceased and those rescued, 95 per cent of them are
non-Nigerians.
“We
have people from the North and East, but majority of those we saw in this
complex were not Nigerians. Some are Togolese and others Beninoise. The
state government will address the public on the situation of the foreign
victims.
“Today
(Wednesday), we had a very smooth operation. I must commend the police, RRS,
Civil Defence, Red Cross, NEMA, LASAMBUS and all others for a diligent job.”
NEMA
Southwest coordinator Yakubu Sulaimon said rescuers were initially denied
access on Tuesday morning but security operatives brought the
situation under control.
“We
do not have a list of occupants in the building. The state government will take
appropriate action on the other buildings marked,” he said.
Last
night, there were fears that some people are still trapped under the rubble.
The
police also yesterday, arrested the contractor handling the project.
Lagos
police spokesperson Superintendent of Police (SP) Dolapo Badmos gave the
contractor’s name as Odofin Taiwo. He is being detained. The Lagos State
Government summoned the directors of Lekki Gardens, the developer of the site,
to show up at the State Police Headquarters within 24 hours or be
arrested.
LASEMA
officials said the body of one of the dead, Aba Ali, was released to his
relatives for burial after proper documentation.
Ali’s
body was handed over to Gaji Mohammed, who said the family was proceeding to
Markaz Cemetery to bury him, in line with Islamic rites.
The
stench from the retrieved bodies filled the air, an indication that they were
already decomposing.
Residents
and relatives of victims denied the developer Lekki Gardens’ claim that
construction had been suspended since January.
An
official of Lekki Gardens, Vincent Paul, said work was ongoing at the site last
week.
He
said: “We have never stopped work on the site. I have worked with the Lekki
Garden for four years. I know how they complete their work. I am still looking
for my friend Sunday John, 29.
“I
saw him last on Monday. He told me he had work to do here. But I told him
I had other things to attend to. I have called his mobile line but it hasn’t
been reachable. I have checked all the bodies and I didn’t see his. He is
married with a child but his family is based in Benue State.”
Secretary,
Hausa Community in Eti-Osa Local Government Area, Auwalu Hassan, said 25
northerners were missing from the site, adding that only six bodies were
retrieved.
He
identified some of the victims as Johson, Yohana, Maria with four children,
Yakub, John, Elias and Yohana), Isiak, saidu, Gwoni, Buhari, Abba and Mustapha.
An
artisan, who survived the disaster, recounted his experience, saying:
“When
I heard that the site engineer was not coming to pay our N10, 000 weekly wages
and N500 daily feeding allowance, I left the site angrily because the engineer
had defaulted for two weeks. Although he promised to pay on Tuesday but
contacting him on phone was futile.
“I
called my elder brother, Alli Abbah, to know if he (engineer) had fulfilled his
promise. But the response from my brother was that the building had caved in.
He said that he was trapped under the rubble and that he had sustained severe
injury on his right thigh. I lost my friend to the collapse. It is a painful
incident.”
At
the Lagos Island General Hospital where some of the rescued survivors were
rushed to, it was gathered that one of them died shortly after arrival at the
hospital.
It
was learnt that the victim died after his friends gave him water following his
cimplaint that he was thirsty.
Sources
at the hospital said 13 persons were brought in for treatment, adding that 12
of them were at the emergency wards, while one passed on.
Two
of the victims were wheeled to the X-ray section.
Confirming
the death toll, LASEMA General Manager Michael Akindele and the Coordinator of
NEMA (Southwest), Yakubu Sulaimon, said:
“Our
objective here is to rescue more persons than recovery of bodies; 18 persons
were rescued a few hours after the building caved in on Tuesday.
“We
have about three excavators working to rescue whoever is left under the rubble.
We are working to ensure that the bodies are not mutilated during the rescue
operation. The rescue operation has now ended.
“For
Muslims who were agitating for the release of their relatives’ bodies, we are working
on proper documentation on how to release the bodies to them. They will need to
present police report, the Lagos State Government official report and a means
of identification.”
Akindele
added that the state government might pull down a nearby five-storey building
still under construction to avoid a similar situation.
The
building being constructed also by Lekki Gardens which has been sealed, has
cracks all over it.
The
Lagos State Safety Commission and the State Building Control Agency (LASBCA)
have sealed over 20 buildings in the community
The
Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), led by its director of Inspectorate and
Complaint, Bede Obayi, inspected the collapsed building and others under
construction in the area.
Obayi
directed that materials used for the collapsed building, including iron rods,
blocks, sand, granites and sea water, should be collected for laboratory
analysis.
“The
first thing in a house is the block. From the ones we have examined here, it
has failed the test.
“The
construction of this building is not up to 50 meters from the sea, showing that
this land was reclaimed from the sea.”
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