Tragedy struck on Tuesday in the Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos State after a five-storey building under construction collapsed, killing no fewer than 18 persons who were mostly workers.
While no fewer than 30 other workers were said to have been trapped at press time, 13 people were rescued alive.
The survivors were taken to different hospitals in the state, while the dead were deposited in a mortuary.
Among the dead was a woman, her six-month-old baby and her husband.
She had gone to the site to collect money for upkeep from her husband when the building collapsed.
Our correspondent learnt that the building was part of the housing projects of the Lekki Gardens.
It was gathered that the affected structure, which was inside the Lekki Gardens Horizon 1, collapsed around 3am, shortly after a windstorm.
A worker, John Adamu, said some workers were sleeping in the uncompleted building when the incident happened.
He said, “Many of the workers here sleep inside the building because they are being owed salary of several months.
“Around 3am, there was a storm and before anyone knew what was happening, the building collapsed. More than 70 people were trapped as of that time.”
On the ground were officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Fire Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Red Cross Society, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Lagos State Safety Commission, Lagos State Ambulance Service and Nigeria Police Force.
Our correspondent observed as of 11am that only one caterpillar was on site for the rescue operation.
This irked some of the sympathisers who asked to be allowed to be involved in the operation to save more lives.
As of the time, six corpses had already been recovered from the rubble, while five were rescued alive.
There was a mild drama as rescuer officials struggled for over four hours to remove a survivor from the rubble. Some youths, who were watching, besieged the spot and began taking out the rubble with their hands.
After a few minutes, one of the carpenters, identified as Kayode, was brought out alive by the youths.
The Chairman of Labourers of the Oniru Royal Family, Iliyasu Abubakar, was seen with a shovel, clearing the rubble.
He told PUNCH Metro that nine of his friends were still trapped.
He said, “I have been able to bring out one of the workers alive, but there are nine of my people there who are still trapped.”
Many residents who trooped the site, said they were either looking for their friends or family members.
One of those declared missing was Abba Kaka.
A family member said Kaka had been speaking with them on the telephone.
He said, “We have been speaking with him since morning. He was calling for help. But now, he is no longer picking his calls.”
Another worker, Victor Suru, said his elder brother, Michael, his wife, Otans, and their six-month-old baby were missing.
Victor said, “My brother works here and they are owing him a lot of money, just as they are owing me about N25,000.
“His wife came to see him just two days ago to collect some money for her upkeep and that of the child.
“But when he explained that they had not been paid, she decided to sleep there till he was paid. And now, they are all trapped inside there.”
Around 4pm, Michael, his wife and the baby were brought out dead.
Some workers, who spoke with PUNCH Metro, attributed the collapse to impatience of the Lekki Gardens, defective building materials and lack of professionals.
The Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Institute of Building, Lagos State chapter, Adelaja Adekanbi, said the collapse didn’t come as a surprise to him.
Adekanbi said he decided to quit in 2014 when he saw the lack of standard.
He said, “I was among those who were here, but I quit in 2014 because of what I saw. One of the buildings here was meant to be a three-storeyed building and we were on the third floor when the owners brought a document saying the structure had been changed to a five-storeyed building.”
A worker, Job, told PUNCH Metro that the engineers were living large at the expense of the workers.
He said, “This place is like a slavery camp for many of us. You are required to carry a block from the ground floor to the fifth floor for just N20. And the engineers were buying cars every time.
“I will not fault Lekki Gardens. It is those they employed that caused this and they should be made to pay for it.”
God’s mercy saved me
An iron bender, Ajani Tajudeen, said he escaped the collapse by God’s mercy.
Tajudeen, who sustained bruises on his stomach and arms, said he was still awake when the building collapsed.
He said, “The whole building fell on us and what I heard next were the groans of people. I struggled to crawl towards the exit, but some things fell on me.
“I dragged myself up and as I moved out, the caterpillar working outside pulled up some rubble and blocked my way out. I had almost given up when the caterpillar again removed the rubble from the place.
“I quickly raised my hand out for people to see me and that was how I was rescued. It was God that saved me.”
There was a drama outside the gate into the estate as security agents shut out some sympathisers.
The people, who almost had a face-off with the security agents, said there was no justification for the action.
The spokesperson for NEMA, South West zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, said the agency had problem moving some of its equipment from the mainland due to traffic jam.
He said, “We tried to get across to Lekki Gardens, but their offices have been locked. I was informed that they came early this morning and immediately left. Nobody has been able to get across to them. And they are the ones who have the map of this place and know how we can easily navigate our way through.
“But since we cannot find them, we have been working blindly since we came. We have rescued some of the workers and we were told that many more are still trapped.
“We will not leave until we get to ground zero. I am not sure we will finish today.”
The General Manager of LASEMA, Mr. Michael Akindele, said the incident happened around 5am.
He said , “About 18 people died, while 13 were rescued alive.
“The incident happened 5am and involved a five-storey building under construction.
“We cannot say the actual cause, but it is obvious there was a mistake or defect somewhere.
“LASAMBUS took the survivors to the hospital on the Lagos Island, while the corpses were taken to the mortuary by the State Environmental and Health Monitoring Unit.”
Asked to react to the slow pace of rescue, he said the agency took its time to ensure that those it was trying to save did not lose their lives.
The General Manager of LASBCA, Sola Adeigbe, said the collapsed building had initially been sealed by the state government, adding that after it passed structural tests, it was reopened
He added that with the tragic incident, all the buildings in the estate would go through another round of tests before people would be allowed to start living in them.
He said, “The major cause of this collapse is foundation failure. I believe that they reclaimed the land and immediately erected the structure. All the buildings completed or not, will be tested.”
The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, said the building was not supposed to go beyond three floors, adding that the two additional floors triggered the collapse.
“The rain and windstorm of that night obviously contributed to it. But buildings are supposed to be constructed to bear all kinds of climatic and environmental conditions. It was the additional floors that caused the collapse,” he added.
Construction stopped in January
The Management of Lekki Gardens, in a statement on Monday, said the building was meant to house a number of apartment units, adding that construction work had been suspended in January 2016 over reported structural defects.
The statement read in part, “So far, seven people have been reported dead, while others were injured. The exact cause of the incident is not known at this time. All of our incident response procedures have been initiated, our support services have been mobilised and relevant authorities have been advised.”
The company said it was cooperating with relevant agencies to speed up rescue efforts.
“Investigation is already underway to ascertain the identities of those affected, as it is not the company‘s policy for site workers to take shelter in uncompleted buildings.
“The Management and staff of Lekki Gardens sincerely sympathise with the families of those who lost their lives. The company will do all in its power to ensure that those injured are fully supported,” the statement added. Punch
