Update: One dead, dozens rescued as “distressed” Lagos building collapses

A two-storey building in the Oyingbo area of Lagos State collapsed on Monday morning, resulting in one confirmed death and the rescue of 21 people, with an unknown number still feared trapped.

The building, located at 54, Cole Street, Cemetery Bus Stop, had been officially marked as ‘Distressed’ prior to the collapse, according to Margaret Adeseye, Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS).

The LSFRS received a distress call in the early hours of Monday and immediately dispatched a team from the Sari Iganmu Fire Station.

The ongoing rescue operation has so far pulled 21 individuals from the rubble. The victims, who sustained varying degrees of injury, include seven male adults, seven female adults, and four children. They have been taken to the Federal Medical Center in Ebute Meta and the General Hospital on Lagos Island for treatment.

This incident is the latest in a string of building collapses plaguing Nigeria, a problem that often intensifies during the rainy season.

The Lagos collapse follows several similar recent tragedies across the country:

· September: Six people were rescued after a two-storey building collapsed on Modupeola Street in the Alimosho area of Lagos.

· September 13: One person died when a three-storey building gave way in the Alagomeji area of Lagos.

· September 6: In Jigawa State, one person died and seven were injured after a building collapse in Kabak village, attributed to structural weaknesses worsened by rainfall.

· July: A three-storey uncompleted building in Kano State collapsed following a heavy downpour, killing two people.

· June: A building under construction in Ibadan, Oyo State, caved in during a rainstorm, prompting the state government to seal the site.

These repeated incidents highlight persistent concerns about building safety and enforcement of construction codes in Africa’s most populous nation.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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