Family escapes death as building collapses in Lagos

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said on Sunday that a family escaped death when their house on the outskirts of the city collapsed.

The agency’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said in a statement in Lagos that the incident occurred around the Adealu bus stop in the Ipaja area of the state.

He said that the agency responded to a distress call received through the 767 and 112 emergency toll-free lines at 22:44 hours on Saturday night (July 13).

“The building collapsed at No. 49, Oyinlola Street, off Adealu Bus- Stop, Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos.

“Upon arrival at the scene, investigations revealed that it was the boys’ quarters behind the storey building in the said address that collapsed.

“Fortunately, the single family involved was able to escape before the collapse. There were neither casualties nor fatalities involved in the incident.

“Further investigations revealed that the boys’ quarters of the building collapsed as a result of neglect and poor maintenance,” he said.

He added that the agency’s response team conducted public enlightenment for awareness and knowledge on the inherent danger to occupants of the building if they continued to stay there.

“The main building, which consists of nine rooms downstairs and two flats upstairs, has been cordoned off.

“All occupants have been advised to vacate the building immediately, for the safety of their lives and property,” he said.

He also recommended that there should be a manual demolition of the remnants of the building.

“Manual clearing of the debris from the self-collapsed boys’ quarters is equally recommended.

“Integrity tests by the Material Testing Laboratory have also been recommended for the main building to determine its continued existence,” he said.