Lagos building collapse on Cole Street leaves one dead and 26 injured as residents admit ignoring distress warnings on the weakened structure
Lagos building collapse on Cole Street in the Oyingbo area has left one person dead and 26 others injured, after residents reportedly ignored repeated warnings that the two-storey structure was in distress.
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When PUNCH Metro visited the scene on Monday, emergency workers from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Red Cross, and the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps were carrying out rescue operations amid the rubble. Crates of beer, motorcycles, and household goods were seen crushed by the impact of the collapse.
A shop owner in the building, Mrs Adaeze, said authorities had long warned residents to vacate the premises due to visible cracks.
“The government had been giving us notice to leave because the building was distressed, but the owner was not cooperating,” she said, adding that her goods worth millions of naira remained trapped under the debris.
Another resident, Habeeb Jamiu, confirmed that the incident followed heavy overnight rain. He said locals were alerted by screams for help from trapped occupants.
“When you passed the building, you would see cracks that made you wonder why they were still living there,” Jamiu recounted.
Hakeem Ibrahim, who also rushed to the scene, described frantic efforts by residents to rescue survivors before emergency responders arrived. “The building was indeed in distress,” he added.
Hospital officials later said several victims were too weak to speak to journalists, but all injured survivors were receiving treatment.
In an update, the Controller General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed one death and 26 rescues.
“One recovered dead as survivors rescued alive move to 26,” she wrote in a situation report, adding that the structure “had previously been marked in distress before collapsing on the occupants.”
The tragedy is the latest in a string of Lagos building collapse incidents this year. On 25 September, six people were rescued after a two-storey structure fell in Mangoro, Alimosho.
Earlier, on 16 September, two construction workers were pulled out alive from a collapsed building in Ebute Metta after being trapped for four days.
Also read: UN climate report warns of weak 2035 emissions cuts
Urban safety advocates have renewed calls for stricter enforcement of building regulations and the demolition of visibly distressed structures to prevent further loss of lives.
