By John Okoh
The Ita Faji, Lagos Island three-storey school building that collapsed on Wednesday have come up with another six more persons who have been recovered in addition to the 25 that were rescued earlier in the day.
The part school, part residential building housing Ohen Nursery and Primary school on the two upper parts of the building while residents occupied the ground has however recorded ten dead over 40, pulled from the rubble, have many have been taken to the Lagos Island General Hospital, where the deputy governor Idiat Adebule is with them there. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) have confirmed this.
Eyewitness say the building was marked for demolition last year while the residents were asked to relocate, but up till the accident the authorities had not carried out the order.
Two youngsters rescued from the rubble
Governor Akinwumi Ambode has paid a visit to the scene of the accident. He blamed the owner of the building for the disaster.
Rescue is sill ongoing as and the crown of sympathizers and parents, some of whom have lost children have crowded the scene, further compounding rescue operations, already hampered by the congested building in the location. Meanwhile, many of the residents of the building are still trapped in the rubble as rescue operations go on.
Another youngster, boy and girl, also rescued.
President Muhammadu Buhari has extended his condolences to the bereaved and the state government, urging for intensified efforts to ensure those trapped are rescued safely.
“We are doing a gradual going down the rubble, going down safely so that those still trapped are rescued, People informed us that many persons are still there. Over 50 persosns have been rescued alive, mostly by the community people. Until we get to ground zero we cannot give a figure of those dead, some get to hospital and die latler,” Says Mr Tamiyu, Head of LASEMA, one of the emergency responders apart from security agencies and even embassies pulling resources together to salvage the situation.
Officials have say they do not know when the operations would stop.
