A building housing more than 500 rooms in Lagos‘ Ketu area has collapsed, with Saturday’s intense rainfall cited as the cause. Those injured are currently receiving medical care at an undisclosed hospital.
Yesterday, four adjacent two-storey buildings partially collapsed in Lagos State’s Kosofe Local Government Area at number 47/49 Oduntan Street. Among those affected, one person was hospitalised, while others sustained minor injuries.
It’s worth noting that this incident occurred in the afternoon, likely due to the effects of Saturday’s heavy rainfall, which might have played a role in the structural weakness.
On the Ketu building collapse, NEMA’s South West Coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye, who corroborated the incident, said: ‘It occurred at Agboye Estate in Oduntan Street, Ketu. Two people had partial injuries and are responding to treatment. The building was a school turned residential housing more than 500 rooms. It partially caved-in yesterday afternoon.’
Read also: Lagos Finalises Construction Of Morden Floating Jetty At CMS
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyitolu, stated that as of the latest press release, there is no information about any fatalities related to the Oduntan Street buildings.
According to Oke-Osanyitolu, ‘Upon arrival of the agency’s responders at the incident scene, a two-storey building and a four-storey building situated beside each other was found to have collapsed at the aforementioned address.’
‘Investigation conducted by the LRT revealed that the collapse could be attributed to ageing and poor maintenance on the part of the owner.’
‘Further investigation revealed that the staircase of the building caved in.’
‘Unfortunately, a male adult fell due to the impact of the collapse from the topmost floor, and has been taken to the hospital while others sustained minor injuries.’
As a result, residents residing in the affected building are being urged to evacuate without delay.
This evacuation operation is being supervised by a joint team comprising LASEMA, the Rapid Response Team (RRS), the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA), and the Lagos Neighborhood and Security Corps (LNSC) to prevent any potential follow-up incidents.
He stated that the building in question would be dismantled as it did not pass a structural integrity assessment, a fact verified by LABSCA officials present at the scene. This decision is made in order to remove the risk it poses to the safety of the public and adjacent buildings.