‎UPDATED: 10 Alive, 1 Dead as Lagos Shopping Complex Collapses

‎A three-storey shopping complex collapsed on Thursday in the Alakija area of Lagos State, leaving one person dead and 10 others rescued, while emergency responders intensified efforts to reach an unspecified number of victims believed to be trapped beneath the debris.
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‎The building, located on Old Ojo Road near Alakija Bus Stop along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Satellite Town, caved in at about 11:40 a.m., triggering a large-scale emergency response by rescue agencies.
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‎The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, who said rescue teams were working tirelessly to locate and extricate victims trapped under the debris.
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‎According to LASEMA, emergency responders, including officials from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the National Emergency Management Agency, security agencies, and medical personnel, were deployed to the scene shortly after the collapse.
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‎Oke-Osanyintolu disclosed that one fatality had been recorded, while 10 persons were successfully rescued and provided immediate medical attention.
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‎He noted that search-and-rescue operations remained ongoing as authorities continued to comb through the wreckage for additional survivors.

Also, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said it received a distress call at 11:37 a.m. and immediately mobilised personnel from the Ijegun-Egba Fire Station, who arrived at the scene at 11:49 a.m.

In a statement on Thursday, the Controller General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said the collapsed structure was a residential building occupied by several residents at the time of the incident.

“The incident involves the collapse of a storey building, an existing residential structure occupied by multiple residents at the time of the incident,” she said.

Adeseye disclosed that 10 persons had so far been rescued alive and handed over to medical personnel for treatment.

“As of the time of this report, 10 persons have been rescued alive with varying degrees of injuries and have been handed over to medical personnel for necessary treatment,” she stated.

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Punch report that search and rescue operations were continuing as emergency workers combed through the debris for possible survivors.

“Search and rescue operations remain ongoing as emergency responders continue efforts to locate, extricate, and evacuate any persons who may still be trapped beneath the debris,” Adeseye said.

‎Eyewitnesses said the building suddenly gave way, sending traders, customers, and passersby scrambling for safety amid panic and confusion.
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‎The cause of the collapse had yet to be determined as of press time, but officials said structural assessments and investigations would be conducted to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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