IKOYI BUILDING: 29 families submit samples as Lagos sets up committee on victims’ identification

The Lagos State government has set up a committee to supervise the identification and release of bodies of victims of the 21-storey building that collapsed in the Ikoyi area of the state last week.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, said members of the committee include senior officials of the state’s Ministries of Health and Justice.

He also revealed that 29 families had submitted samples for DNA at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba, Lagos.

The commissioner stressed that the victims’ bodies would be released to their families from this week.

At least 44 persons were confirmed dead and 15 others rescued from the debris of the high-rise building that collapsed at Gerard Road, Ikoyi, last Monday.

The statement read: “29 families have come forward to submit samples for DNA to identify bodies that they wish to claim. In cases where identification is clear and there are no arguments, the bodies will be released to the families as from this week.

READ ALSO: Ikoyi collapsed building death toll reaches 44

“A committee to supervise the identification and release of the bodies has been set up. It comprises senior officials of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice.

“At the site, the operation continues. It will go on until the site is cleared and nobody is left in the rubble of the collapsed 21-storey edifice.

“The Panel of Inquiry set up by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to find out why the building went down and suggest ways of stopping such incidents has continued its sittings. It is collecting documents that may help unravel the mystery of the collapsed building.”

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