Lagos: 5 feared dead in building collapse •As fire guts NIPOST building

Posted by admin Lagos, State News Saturday, August 20th, 2011

Five people were on Saturday afternoon feared killed, several others severely injured and property worth millions of naira destroyed when a three-storey building collapsed on the Island in Lagos State.

Among the injured was a man said to be a welder. One of the Ikeja offices of the Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST) also, on the same day, went up in flames, creating pandemonium among residents of Toyin and other streets in the area.

Six people had, as of Saturday evening, been rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building, while scores of others were still said to be trapped in the building.

The incident was said to have occurred at about 5.00 p.m.

A resident of Oroyinyin Street, who did not want his name in print, informed Sunday Tribune that a sudden thunderous explosion attracted the attention of residents of the area to the collapsed building.

“What we had was a very loud sound and before we could see what was happening, we saw the three-storey building going down with many people trapped in it,” the resident stated.

The resident also stated that many traders who were around the building when it caved in were caught in the rubble.

Another eyewitness narrated to Sunday Tribune that the building’s second and third floors were not occupied by any tenant, but that it had traders occupying the ground floor.

According to him, last year, when the structure was found not to be strong enough for habitation, the landlord gave quit notices to the tenants. They were all said to have left the house.

But the traders, he said further, did not vacate the structure.

It was also gathered that when the incident occured, many of the traders had gone out to transact businesses and that it was only a man, who was said to be a welder, that was relaxing at the ground floor of the building.

“So, when the building collapsed, he was trapped under the rubble and it took the efforts of the people nearby to rescue him and he was quickly rushed to a hospital,” the eyewitness said.

When Sunday Tribune got to the scene of the incident, people were seen clustering around the building.

Rescue operation by men of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and some volunteer residents of the area was still going on as of Saturday night.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Samuel Jinadu, confirmed the incident to Sunday Tribune.

He added that the police had cordoned off the area to ensure security.

The police image maker also stated that six people had been rescued at as of 6.30 p.m. on Saturday and that some people were still trapped in the building.

Meanwhile, the fire at the Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way office of NIPOST, which occured at about 3 O’clock in the afternoon, was suspected to have resulted from an upsurge in electricity voltage.

The first floor of the four-storey building was most affected as the floor was completely burnt, though other floors were mildly affected.

-Tribunewp_posts