UPDATED : Banana Island Building Collapse : Seven Workers Rescued, One Trapped

Estimated reading time: 12 minute(s)

… Truck Rammed Into Structure, Says LASEMA

…It’s Unauthorized Building — Physical Planning

… Residents Knock Govt. Contractors, Owners

Fawaz Adebisi, Sodiq Mojibola

No fewer than seven workers have been rescued after a seven-storey building, which was under construction, collapsed at First Avenue, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The incident occured on Wednesday, while seven workers were rescued while an undisclosed number of persons were still trapped at about 8.30pm.

However, according to the emergency responders at the scene, only one person was still trapped as of the time of filing this report .

PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the Lagos State Fire Service arrived at the scene as its officials made efforts to rescue the victims .

Other officials like the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, which was led by the South West Coordinator, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, and the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, LASEMA, the Police, and more later joined them at the scene.

… LASEMA Discloses Cause, Says Truck Rammed Into Structure

Meanwhile, LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu in a Twitter post disclosed that the collapse was triggered by a truck that rammed into the building.

Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu made this known on Wednesday, in a Twitter post, @OkeOsanyintolu, that a six story building had collapsed as a result of a truck that ran into it.

The post reads, “Happening Now:
Building Collapse at 1st Avenue, Banana Island, Ikoyi.

“A Six storey building under construction has collapsed in Banana Island. Information revealed the building collapsed as a result of a truck that ran into it. Operation on going.”

Oke-Osanyintolu added that “Emergency First Responders are on scene and operations are proceeding led by the Permanent Secretary LASEMA Dr.Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu.”

… Unauthorized Building — Physical Planning

The Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Mukaila Sanusi, while speaking said the building was an unauthorized one, as he is yet to ascertain the cause of the collapse.

He said “an unapproved seven-storey building under construction collapsed in Banana Island, Lagos State, this evening (yesterday). There was no fatality. Few victims who sustained injuries are being treated. This unfortunate incident happened while casting was being done.

“The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tayo Bamgbose-Martins, immediately visited the site to assess the situation and flag off investigation. We ask members of the public to remain calm and expect further information from the ministry as we know more”, he stated.

The collapsed building, as gathered, is one of the three highrise structures under construction.

… Residents Knock Govt. Contractors, Owners

Residents have knocked the Lagos State Government, building contractors and engineers, as well as house owners saying they failed to play their roles diligently.

Some residents believe that the collapsed structure must have been as a result of the government’s negligence in implementing full compliance with standard structural designs.

Others are of the opinion that mismanagement of the construction project by contractors and engineers, and failure of house owners to do the needful as requisites for erecting highrise structures.

@habsydiamond01 said, “Why should a 6 storey building collapse if everything is being done properly. The contractor and the civil engineers in charge of this project must be interrogated. Someone has been reducing cost and keeping it as profit.”

Another user, @oosha_ray commented on the incident, saying, “All I can say is that, the officials of the building control agencies just went to those sites and get paid without carrying out their primary job. Once the owner of the projects don sort Dem they forget the reason why they are at the building site to check if they comply.”

@TheDigitalMay called on the Lagos State Government to prioritize compliance with standard structural designs to prevent future recurrence of structural collapses.

May said, “Until Lagos state prioritizes structural designs that meet safety and compliance standards, these disasters will be imminent.
“Especially in waterlogged areas, poor foundation is just a collapse away from happening.”

Speaking on the actual number of floors in the structure, a Twitter user, @airfem_, who claims to be a worker in a building beside the collapsed structure said the building was going to be raised to an 8 storey building.

Airfem said, “It’s all going to 8 stories in the initial plan… The one beside it is already going above that figure… I work there”