A three-storey building collapsed in the Alakija area of Lagos State on Thursday, leaving one person dead, at least 10 others rescued, while emergency workers continued searching for more victims feared trapped beneath the rubble.
The building, located on Old Ojo Road near Alakija Bus Stop, inward Satellite Town along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, reportedly gave way at about 11:40 a.m., triggering panic among residents and business owners in the busy commercial neighbourhood.
Emergency responders, including the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), police officers, and other rescue teams, quickly mobilised to the scene to begin search-and-rescue operations.
LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the agency activated a full emergency response immediately after receiving distress calls about the collapse.
According to him, two victims were initially rescued alive through the combined efforts of emergency responders, while the body of an adult male was recovered from the debris.
He added that reports from the scene indicated that other occupants, including shop owners who had resumed business activities, might still be trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
Heavy-duty equipment, including an excavator, was deployed to speed up rescue efforts as responders carefully searched through the rubble in the hope of finding more survivors.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service later confirmed that its personnel arrived at the scene minutes after receiving a distress call and had rescued 10 people alive with varying degrees of injuries.
The victims were handed over to medical personnel for treatment, while rescue operations continued.
Controller of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said emergency workers remained focused on locating and safely evacuating anyone still trapped beneath the debris. She urged members of the public to stay away from the area to allow rescue teams unrestricted access to carry out life-saving operations.
As of Thursday evening, authorities had not established the cause of the collapse. Structural experts and emergency officials are expected to investigate the incident after rescue operations are completed.
The latest tragedy adds to the growing number of building collapse incidents recorded in Lagos in recent years, raising fresh concerns over compliance with building regulations, structural integrity and construction safety standards in Nigeria’s commercial capital.
