One killed, two rescued in Lagos building collapse

One person was killed and two others rescued after a two-storey building undergoing manual demolition collapsed in the Aboru area of Lagos State.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying the incident occurred at about 12:56 am at No. 42, Governors Road, Aboru, in the Alimosho Local Government Area of the state.

Oke-Osanyintolu said the agency’s Alpha Eagle Response Team was immediately deployed to the scene after receiving a distress call.

According to him, preliminary findings indicated that the building collapsed while it was being manually demolished, trapping some workers under the rubble.

“On arrival, first responders confirmed that the structure had collapsed during demolition activities, with workers trapped under the debris,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary said the agency activated the state’s Emergency Response Plan and took charge of the rescue operation in coordination with other emergency responders.

He said two adult males were rescued alive from the rubble and administered first aid by personnel of the Lagos State Ambulance Service before being taken to a nearby health facility for further treatment.

He, however, said another adult male was recovered dead from beneath the collapsed structure.

“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.

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“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 said the rescue operation was being conducted jointly by LASEMA, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and LASAMBUS.

Oke-Osanyintolu added that the area had been cordoned off to protect residents and provide a safe operating environment for emergency responders.

He urged residents and developers to comply with building regulations and engage certified professionals for demolition and construction activities.

“Any suspicious or unsafe building activity should be reported immediately to the Agency through the 767 and 112 toll-free emergency numbers,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary said the state government remained committed to strengthening emergency response across Lagos, including the decentralisation of response units to achieve a 10-minute response time.

The incident comes less than three months after a building collapse in another part of Lagos claimed multiple lives.

PUNCH Metro reported on June 25 that no fewer than eight people were killed while 26 others were rescued after a three-storey building collapsed in the Alakija area of the state.

The building, located on Old Ojo Road by Alakija Bus Stop, off the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Satellite Town, collapsed at about 11:37 am, prompting a large-scale rescue operation involving multiple emergency agencies.