Death toll climbs up to 35 in Lagos building collapse

FIXTEEN more bodies were yesterday retrieved from the collapsed five-storey building in Ikate, Lekki, Lagos, bringing the death toll to 35. Thirteen were rescued. One of the survivors taken from the rubble died at the Lagos Island General Hospital;  18 bodies were pulled out before rescuers left the site on Tuesday. National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Southwest spokesman Ibrahim
Farinloye, in a message at about 7.30pm, said: “Operations concluded at 7.20pm with 34 dead and 13 rescued after reaching ground zero.

“Investigation on the cause of the collapse has started by various federal and state agencies.”

Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) boss Michael Akindele said 95 per cent of the victims were foreigners.

He said: “As we speak now, the time is 7:20pm. Search and rescue exercise on the collapsed five-storey building of 12 blocks of flats is hereby concluded and the physical record we have is 13 lives rescued and 34 bodies.

Source: The Nation