The death toll from the 21-storey -building collapse on Gerrard road, in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State, has risen to 38.
This new update is coming as the recovery effort for survivors of the incident enters the fourth day, with a total number of survivors put at 9 (8 male and 1 female).
The confirmation was made by the South-West Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, on Thursday in Lagos.
Farinloye who had earlier said that 33 males and 3 females have been brought out dead from the rubble, later announced that additional 2 male bodies were recovered.
He said “Additional two male bodies were recovered some minutes ago (Thursday morning) making the death toll a total number of 38 (35 males and three females).’’
Meanwhile, friends and relatives of the building collapse victims have expressed serious concern and disapproval over the way emergency response is being carried out at the site, which they described as slow.
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Recall that the suspended General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki, was alleged to have stated that a 15-storey building was approved for the collapsed structure. This was contradictory to the statement made by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, who said that 21 storeys were approved.
There are unverified reports that the Managing Director of Fourscore Heights Limited, Mr Femi Osibona, who owned the building, is allegedly among the people still trapped in the rubble of the collapsed building.
Days after the tragic incident, the whereabout of Osibona, who was alleged to be on the 18th floor of the building when it collapsed, still appears unknown.
The state government also announced the setting up of an independent panel to probe the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the building.
The panel will independently investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrences. The investigation is not part of the internal probe already being conducted by the government.
