3 killed, 15 rescued, as shopping complex

3 killed, 15 rescued, as shopping complex
collapses in Lagos
on november 05, 2013 at 4:30 am in news
BY MONSURU OLOWOOPEJO
LAGOS — A five-storey shopping complex under-
construction at 9, Muri Okunola Street, in  Eti-Osa
Local Government Area, yesterday, collapsed killing
at least three persons and injuring 15 others.
At 8:30p.m., when Vanguard visited the scene, it
was gathered that scores of persons might still be
trapped under the debris.
At the scene, officials of the Lagos State Emergency
Management Agency, LASEMA, Red Cross and men
of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, attached to the
Maroko Station, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence
Corps, NSCDC, Lagos Command, were sighted still
battling to rescue the trapped persons.
*Collapsed Mall
Of the 15 rescued, five are said to be in critical
conditions and have been admitted at the Accident
and Emergency Centre, Toll Gate, Ikeja while others
were admitted at the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC, hospital, few metres away from
the scene. It was learnt that the construction
workers were casting the decking and the pillars
when the building caved-in on them at about
4:00p.m.
An eyewitness, Mr. Adetayo Olaseni stated: “The
building collapsed at about 4:00p.m. while
construction works were still ongoing. This led to
pandemonium, as everyone scampered for safety.”
Another eye-witness, Miss Blessing Osundare said:
“I  heard a loud bang and all I saw was that the
entire building had collapsed on the workers. While
some escaped unhurt, others are still trapped under
the debris.
“I can’t say this is the number of people here, but I
know that they were more than 60 persons working
at the site.”
Confirming the tragedy, the General Manager of
LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu said: “A twin
four-storey building located at Muri Okunola Street,
Victoria Island collapsed.”
“Fifteen persons have been rescued so far while
three corpses have been recovered from the
debris.
“Rescue operations are still on-going and we are
assuring residents that they should not panic. We
are on top of the issue.”