One person died while two others were rescued after a two-storey building undergoing manual demolition collapsed in the Aboru area of Lagos State in the early hours of Thursday.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the incident occurred at about 12:56am at No. 42, Governors Road, Aboru, in Alimosho Local Government Area.
In a statement, Oke-Osanyintolu said LASEMA’s Alpha Eagle Response Team was immediately deployed to the scene after receiving a distress call.
“On arrival, first responders confirmed that the structure had collapsed during demolition activities, with workers trapped under the debris,” he stated.
He said the agency activated the state’s Emergency Response Plan and coordinated other responders at the site.
“Through a coordinated search and rescue operation, two adult males were extricated alive from the rubble and were promptly administered life-saving first aid by personnel of the Lagos State Ambulance Service, LASAMBUS, before being moved to a nearby health facility for further medical attention.
“Sadly, one adult male was recovered dead from beneath the collapsed structure. The agency commiserates with the family of the deceased and prays for the quick recovery of the injured,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.
He added that the rescue operation was carried out jointly by LASEMA, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and LASAMBUS. The area has been cordoned off to protect residents and allow rescue workers to operate safely.
*Call for compliance*
The LASEMA boss urged residents and developers to follow building regulations and use only certified professionals for demolition and construction.
“Any suspicious or unsafe building activity should be reported immediately to the Agency through the 767 and 112 toll-free emergency numbers,” he said.
Oke-Osanyintolu also said the state government remains committed to improving emergency response, including decentralising response units to achieve a 10-minute response time.
Previous incident
It was reported on June 25 that at least eight people died and 26 others were rescued after a three-storey building collapsed in the Alakija area of Lagos.
Oke-Osanyintolu said that building, located on Old Ojo Road by Alakija Bus Stop off the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Satellite Town, collapsed at about 11:37am and triggered a large-scale multi-agency response.