The four new tenants who died included a corper, a mother, her son, and one other occupant, taking the death count to ten
By Kehinde Okeowo
The distressed three-storey building, which collapsed in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos State on Sunday, May 1, has claimed the lives of four more occupants.
Apart from the 6 reported to have died on Sunday, the latest casualties included a member of the National Youth Service Corps, identified only as Oluwakemi. a mother and his son, and one other occupant, which brings the total death to 10.
TheNiche newspaper had earlier reported the tragic incident, where no fewer than 24 occupants were also injured, and 7 of the victims were treated on the spot and discharged.
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However, others who sustained severe injuries, after being stabilised by emergency responders at the incident scene, were rushed to a general hospital for further treatment.
According to Platforms Africa, occupants of the three-storey building were in their various apartments when it caved in around 9.30pm on Sunday.
While some occupants were lucky enough to navigate their way out of the collapsed structure, others were trapped beneath the rubble.
Before the arrival of emergency responders, some members of the community searched the rubble and rescued the trapped victims.
One of the survivors, Isaac Irhrhi, who escaped death by a whisker, said he came out with members of his family.
He said, “I am speechless; I give glory to God for being alive. Friends, children, mothers have died, but my family and I came out alive. When the building collapsed, it sounded like thunder as everything went down.
“My flat is on the last floor, so I was able to break the ceiling to create a way to see outside. My wife, child, and neighbours were calling me, so I directed them to where I was and started pulling them out. Aside from my wife and child, I was able to pull two neighbours out of the rubble.”
Meanwhile, President Mohammadu Buhari has sent a condolence message to the victims’ families, as Lagos ends search and rescue operations