Ikoyi Collapsed Building: 10 Dead, 9 Rescued, 3 Discharged, Many Still Trapped — Lagos Govt
The Lagos State Government has provided an update on the continuing rescue operation at the Ikoyi building collapse that occurred on Monday.
Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, the Deputy Governor, reported at the scene on Tuesday that nine people had been rescued alive from the rubbles.
After an overnight search and rescue operation by a combined team of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), with the support of construction giants Julius Berger and China Civil Engineering Construction Company, Hamzat, in the company of cabinet members, said 10 bodies were removed from the rubbles (CCECC).
At the time of the Deputy Governor’s visit, the exact number of individuals trapped in the collapsed unfinished structure was unknown, although Hamzat said some of the workers interviewed said the amount was between 24 and 28.
Three of the nine people who were rescued alive have been released from the hospital. The victims were taken to Lagos Island General Hospital in Marina for treatment.
The deputy governor said: “Our search and rescue operation is ongoing to remove those possibly still trapped under the rubbles. Our focus right now is to get people out alive. This morning, we took out two people alive and they are responding well to treatment in the hospital.
“Totally, we have evacuated nine people alive and three of them have been discharged. We have also sadly taken out 10 dead bodies. We believe there could be more people trapped in the building but all our efforts are focused on rescue.”
Hamzat condemned what he called “needless gathering” of people who had nothing to do with the rescue operation at the scene, stressing that their presence was distracting those involved in the search efforts.
“What is currently happening at the site of the incident is a search and rescue operation. It is not so good to have a lot of people at the site. Sometimes, the rescuers require silence to be able to hear the voices of those who may still be trapped. The operation is ongoing and we hope we will be able to rescue more. We will not leave the site until we are able to account for everyone in the building,” Hamzat said.
He disclosed that the collapsed structure had been sealed off by the State Government last June because of low structural integrity test and demanded the anomaly be corrected before the construction could be allowed to go on.
Hamzat said the project manager was being expected to report back to the Government on details of the correction before the incident.
He assured the public that the full investigation ordered by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, would yield an outcome that would lead to the next line of action.
