A three-storey building collapsed on Thursday in the Alakija area of Lagos State, leaving one person dead and 10 others rescued, while fears remain that more victims could still be trapped beneath the debris.
The incident occurred around 11:40 a.m. on Old Ojo Road, near Alakija Bus Stop along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Satellite Town, prompting an immediate response from emergency agencies.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed that a coordinated search-and-rescue operation is ongoing at the scene. According to LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, emergency responders are working systematically to locate and rescue anyone trapped under the rubble.
He stated that rescue teams had recovered the body of one adult male and initially rescued two people alive through joint efforts involving LASEMA, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), and CRCC Construction Company.
Oke-Osanyintolu noted that reports from the scene suggested additional victims, including shop owners who had resumed business activities, might still be trapped. He added that heavy-duty equipment, including excavators, had been deployed to support the ongoing operation and urged residents to stay away from the area to allow rescue workers unrestricted access.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said it received a distress call at 11:37 a.m. and immediately dispatched personnel from the Ijegun-Egba Fire Station, who arrived at the scene by 11:49 a.m.
The agency’s Controller General, Margaret Adeseye, said the collapsed structure was an occupied residential building. She disclosed that 10 people had been rescued alive with varying degrees of injuries and transferred to medical personnel for treatment.
Search-and-rescue efforts remain ongoing as emergency workers continue to comb through the rubble for survivors. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the collapse.
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