Local people pass the site of a building collapse incident in Lagos, Nigeria, Oct. 12, 2020. The death toll from a three-storey building which collapsed here on Sunday rose to seven as authorities intensified search and rescue efforts. (Photo by Tope Ayoku/Xinhua)
LAGOS, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a three-storey building which collapsed here on Sunday rose to seven as authorities intensified search and rescue efforts.
Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, head of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), told media late on Sunday that rescue operations have found seven bodies, namely six men and one woman. Fifteen others sustained injuries and were treated at a local hospital.
Oke-Osanyintolu said the cause of the building collapse at the Obalende neighborhood of Lagos Island is unknown. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the incident.
Residents in the neighborhood told Xinhua that although it was an uncompleted building, several people took shelter there before it partially collapsed.
Cases of collapsed buildings are not uncommon in Nigeria, and local experts attribute most building collapses to aging structures and non-compliance with building planning and regulations as well as the use of substandard materials during construction. Enditem
