One killed, two rescued in Lagos building collapse

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

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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.

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

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

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

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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.

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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.

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

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“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.

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

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

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

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

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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