The death toll at the scene of a high-rise building that caved in Ikoyi axis of Lagos State, has risen to 36, the emergency services said Thursday.
JomogNews Nigeria reports that fourteen additional dead bodies were recovered by the emergency rescue team under rubbles of the ill-fated structure.
“So far, 36 people; 33 males and three females have been confirmed dead, while there were nine survivors,” Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, general manager of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said.
The 21-storey building under construction in the Ikoyi district of Lagos crumbled on Monday afternoon, trapping dozens of people working on the site.
Distraught families and friends of people trapped in the rubble have been waiting for days outside the scene as rescue operations unfold.
The emergency services said Wednesday that 22 bodies had been recovered, but more were found later in the day.
Ibrahim Farinloye of the National Emergency Management Agency also confirmed the new toll on Thursday.
He said rescuers “won’t give up until we reach ground zero”, adding that bigger equipment was brought in Tuesday evening for the operation.
The number of people present on the site at the time of the collapse is still unknown.
Building collapses happen frequently in densely populated areas of Lagos, which is home to some 20 million people.
Two other smaller buildings in Lagos also collapsed on Tuesday following heavy rains, though no one was killed, Farinloye said.
Poor workmanship and materials and a lack of official oversight are often blamed.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said Wednesday the incident was a “terrible national disaster”, adding that “mistakes were made”.
He said he was setting up an independent panel to probe the causes of the collapse and prevent similar incidents in the future.
