The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has confirmed one death and the rescue of three adult men following the collapse of a two-storey building under construction in Fadeyi, Lagos.
LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
He said the building collapsed in the early hours of Friday on Akinola Street, near Fadeyi Bus Stop, off Ikorodu Road.
According to him, search and rescue operations were ongoing to establish whether additional people were trapped beneath the debris.
Oke-Osanyintolu said the agency received a distress call at 12:10 a.m., prompting the immediate deployment of its Cobra Response Team from the Onipanu Base.
The team arrived at the scene at 12:12 a.m. and discovered that the building under construction had collapsed, with construction workers suspected to be trapped beneath the rubble.
He said rescue operations began immediately, with safety measures introduced to protect both the victims and emergency responders.
During the operation, rescuers reportedly heard groaning sounds beneath the debris, suggesting that more people might have survived the collapse.
He added that an excavator was deployed to assist the search and rescue efforts.
The rescued victims received immediate pre-hospital treatment from LASEMA paramedics and the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) before being taken to hospital.
Responders at the scene included the LASEMA Response Team, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, LASAMBUS and officers of the Nigeria Police Force from Alagbon Division.
Oke-Osanyintolu said the cause of the collapse had not been established and would be investigated by the relevant regulatory agencies.
He expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and wished the rescued victims a speedy recovery.
The permanent secretary also reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to addressing substandard construction and strengthening monitoring and enforcement in collaboration with the Lagos State Building Control Agency to prevent similar incidents.