Tragedy struck in Lagos island on Wednesday following the collapse of a three-storey building which serves as a children’s school, Igbere TV reports.
Igbere TV gathered that the building also accommodated tenants before it caved in at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
At least 40 pupils, including 10 dead bodies, had been pulled out of the rubble as at Wednesday afternoon. This was disclosed by authorities of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).
“We were in the market, when we heard ‘gboom’”, a resident in the area told Igbere TV.
Investigation by Igbere TV revealed that the Nursery and Primary school occupied the first and second floors of the building, while residents lived on the ground floor.
An eyewitness told Igbere TV that, upon the collapse of the building, many men in the neighborhood rushed to the scene and were able to rescue few pupils before the arrival of LASEMA officials and other rescue teams.
Many pupils and teachers, however, were still trapped in the rubble as at Wednesday afternoon.
“Casualties and corpses have been taken to nearby private and government hospitals”, witnesses confided in Igbere TV.
Adesina Tiamiyu, the general manager of LASEMA, who was present at the scene told journalists that people living in the area had been very helpful as they had begun rescue operations before his team’s arrival.
He said they are still working to ensure that those that are still trapped get rescued.
“Parents will be allowed to identify their children, we’ll not stop until we are sure that there is no one left in the building.”
He further told journalists that once the rescue mission has ended, the actual figure will be revealed.
Many parents were seen crying in front of the hospital situated on the same street with the collapsed building.
A resident who identified herself simply as Shekinah, said she never knew there was a school in the collapsed building because according to her, government had marked the building for demolition more than three times.
“Government has marked it several times but they’ll only patch it and put tiles after bribing the officials,” she told newsmen.
Ayinke Busari, a friend to a parent at the school, said that she is there in place of her friend, Taiwo, who had been taken home to take care of her baby.
“She has seven children in the school, two have been found but they are yet to locate the remaining ones. We’ve sent her home because she has a baby,” Busari said.
More to come…
