Dozens of Children Trapped in Building Collapse in Lagos, Nigeria

New York (Capital Markets inAfrica) – Emergency crews scrambled to rescue dozens of children Wednesday morning from the wreckage of a three-story building housing a nursery and primary school that collapsed in Lagos, Nigeria.

Hundreds of people were gathered at the site, on Lagos Island, wailing as motionless children were removed from the rubble and spirited by ambulance to a nearby hospital. There were news reports that some people had been killed, but no official confirmations of deaths.

Onlookers said that about 25 people had been pulled from the rubble so far. A cover was pulled over the body of one, an adult man, indicating he was dead, a local reporter said. Workers were concentrating on a classroom where they believe 30 children were trapped.

Local officials said at least 70 people, and possibly many more, were inside the building when it came down about 10 a.m. Wednesday.

One video on social media showed a dazed-looking, dust-covered child being carried on an orange stretcher as hundreds of onlookers cheered and patted rescuers on the back.

Other videos from the scene posted on social media show piles of giant slabs of broken concrete. By early afternoon the top two collapsed floors had been removed by a bulldozer and rescuers stood atop the rubble, throwing aside children’s backpacks and other school equipment in hopes of reaching children underneath.

One rescuer said he saw 20 children inside and feared the debris would collapse on them before they could be saved. Some workers demanded oxygen masks from an ambulance but none were available, as onlookers became increasingly angry that rescuers were ill-equipped.

Building collapses are not uncommon in Lagos, one of the world’s largest cities, with an estimated population of 23.4 million. The Gulf of Guinea runs along the southern border of the city, which also includes several islands. Lagos Island, in Lagos Lagoon, is one of them.

In 2016, a church collapsed in Uyo, southeast of Lagos, and officials at a local hospital put the death toll at 160, though government agencies cited lower figures.

The same year, a five-story building collapsed while under construction in the Lekki District of Lagos, killing at least 34 people. Seven people were killed when a private residence collapsed in a poor neighborhood called Ebute-Meta in 2013.

Citizens have long complained about shoddy construction and a need for better building inspections across Lagos. People gathered at the site of the latest collapse on Wednesday said the building had been marked with a large “X,” a sign that it was shoddy and to be demolished. That could not be confirmed with officials.

Some occupied buildings have cracked foundations and tilted floors. Experts have warned that rising sea levels could cause more problems in the future for the rapidly growing city.

Source: Bloomberg Business News