LASEMA, following the incident, urged Lagos residents using faulty or damaged elevators to report such issues to the relevant authorities.
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has rescued residents of an apartment building in Banana Island, Lagos, who were trapped in a lift for over an hour.
This was made known by the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, while providing an update on the incident.
The life-threatening saga gained prominence after a video showing the occupants of the building stuck inside the lift trended on social media.
In the footage, the residents appeared visibly distressed and were sweating as they pleaded for help.
As seen in the clip, one of those trapped in the lift said: “We are currently trapped inside the lift at the Banana Island School apartment. We have been stuck here for almost 40 minutes.
“We are suffocating in here and no one seems to be doing anything about it. We even contacted the landlady’s daughter and she said they would see what they could do.”
ALSO READ: African leaders urged to beware surveillance risks in Chinese-funded government buildings
Speaking on the incident, Dr Oke-Osanyintolu said the residents were eventually rescued through a coordinated emergency response.
According to him, LASEMA personnel worked alongside officers of the Federal Fire Service, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to free the trapped occupants.
“When the agency received the distress call, we immediately mobilised with the Federal Fire Service, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and NEMA. Through the joint effort, the occupants were rescued successfully,” he said.
Oke-Osanyintolu added that the affected residents were attended to at the scene and reassured after the rescue operation.
He urged Lagos residents using lifts that may be faulty or partially damaged to report such issues to the relevant authorities.
“Lagos residents should notify the safety commission or the fire services by writing to them so the appropriate authorities can address the matter,” he added.
