Sunday, 21 August 2011

5 feared dead in Lagos building collapse •As NIPOST building goes up in flames

Five people were on Saturday afternoon feared killed, several others severely injured and property worth millions of naira destroyed when a three-storey building collapsed on the Island in Lagos State.
Among the injured was a man said to be a welder. One of the Ikeja offices of the Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST) also, on the same day, went up in flames, creating pandemonium among residents of Toyin and other streets in the area.
Six people had, as of Saturday evening, been rescued from the rubbleof the collapsed building,while scores of others were still said to be trapped in the building.
The incident was said to have occurred at about 5.00 p.m.
A resident of Oroyinyin Street, who did not want his name in print, informed Sunday Tribune that a sudden thunderous explosion attracted the attention of residents of the areato the collapsed building.
“What we had was a very loud sound and before we could see what was happening, we saw the three-storey building going down with many peopletrapped in it,” the resident stated.
The resident also stated that many traders who were around the building when it caved in were caught in the rubble.
Another eyewitness narrated to Sunday Tribune that the building’s second and third floors were not occupied by any tenant, but that it had traders occupying the ground floor.
According to him, last year, when the structure was found not to be strong enoughfor habitation, the landlord gave quit notices to the tenants. They were all said to have left the house.
But the traders, he said further, did not vacate the structure.
It was also gathered that when the incident occured, many of the traders had gone out totransact businesses and that it was only a man, who was said to be a welder, that was relaxing at the ground floor of the building.
“So, when the building collapsed, he was trapped under the rubble and it took the efforts of the people nearby to rescue him and he was quickly rushed to a hospital,” the eyewitness said.

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