By Ayo Kehinde
At least fifteen persons, including children, were rescued in the early hours of Monday after a two-storey residential building collapsed at 54 Cole Street, near Cemetery Bus Stop, Oyingbo, Lagos.
Eyewitnesses said the building, which had shown visible signs of distress, gave way around 12:20 a.m., trapping several occupants who were asleep at the time.
Emergency responders from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and the police were quickly mobilised to the scene, where rescue operations continued into the morning.
Confirming the incident, the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs Margaret Adeseye, said fifteen people, eight men, four women, and three children, were pulled out alive from the rubble.
She added that no fatalities had been recorded as of the time of filing this report.
“The rescue operation was carried out in close collaboration with other emergency responders. All rescued victims have been taken to nearby hospitals for medical attention,” Adeseye said.
Residents told reporters that the building had earlier been marked as unsafe, and tenants were advised to vacate. However, some allegedly remained in the structure due to a lack of alternative accommodation.
“We were told to leave two weeks ago, but many of us had nowhere else to go,” a tenant who narrowly escaped the collapse said.
Emergency officials have since cordoned off the site to prevent further casualties, while engineers from the Lagos State Building Control Agency have begun assessing the structural integrity of nearby buildings.
The Lagos State Government reiterated its commitment to enforcing building safety regulations and warned residents against ignoring evacuation notices issued on distressed properties.
As of press time, search operations were still ongoing, with responders working cautiously to ensure no one remains trapped under the debris.
