25-storey skyscraper collapses in Nigeria burying around 100 inside

A 25-storey skyscraper has collapsed in Nigeria burying around 100 inside

More than 100 workmen are believed to be trapped in the rubble after a 25-story apartment building under construction in the Nigerian capital of Lagos collapsed this afternoon, Monday, November 1. The building is in one of the city’s up-market areas, the Ikoyi district, and reportedly just crumbled to the ground at around 1.30pm.

Angry scenes confronted the deputy governor of Lagos, Obafemi Hamzat, when he finally arrived at the disaster area. He was accused by groups of angry of leaving it very late before organising a rescue attempt. One worker reportedly shouted at him as he surveyed the awful pile of debris, “For the past two hours since it collapsed nobody came here”.

Eric Tetteh, aged 41, was one of the construction workers inside the building who managed to escape the collapse, he said, “Me and my brother, we escaped, but more people are there, more than 100 people”. Apparently, Tetteh said the block – which had been under construction for the last two years – simply fell to the ground as workmen were waiting for the arrival of an excavator.

Blame is already being apportioned to various parties, with many claiming that this type of incident is common because building code regulations in Lagos are not strong enough. Private developers also came in for criticism, blamed for rushing to get housing finished too quickly, resulting in shoddy workmanship.

An official with Lagos State emergency management agency, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, commented, “It is a 25-storey building still under construction. Many workers are trapped under the rubble. We are trying to rescue them. We cannot say at this moment how many are dead. The rescue operation is ongoing”.

Investigations are underway to establish the cause of the disaster, but there is no more information at this time. This is a breaking story and we will do our best to update you as soon as more information is available, as reported by dailymail.co.uk.

BREAKING: Several trapped, many feared dead as 21 storey building collapses in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria

Footages: https://t.co/15Ouwk6Nod pic.twitter.com/Z0Pqmm7eu0

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) November 1, 2021

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