A deadly building collapse in Lagos claimed the lives of at least nine people and left many others hurt on Thursday, according to the state’s commissioner for information, who confirmed the toll on Friday.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency — commonly referred to as LASEMA — took charge of the rescue effort, coordinating multiple agencies and bringing in heavy machinery to dig through the debris in search of survivors.
Emergency workers managed to pull people from the rubble and provide medical care at the scene before sending the injured to nearby hospitals for further treatment. In total, 27 people were rescued with injuries ranging in severity.
At the time the structure gave way, both residents and office workers were inside the building.
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu responded to the disaster by directing officials to conduct structural inspections on surrounding buildings and called on property owners to follow established safety regulations.
The collapse has once again brought attention to a troubling pattern in Lagos, where building failures occur with troubling regularity, frequently blamed on substandard construction practices and a lack of consistent enforcement of building codes.
