Probe commences into collapsed Banana Island building, as govt says no approval was given

Seven people in all were rescued from the wreckage of a seven-story building under construction that collapsed on First Avenue on Wednesday in the posh Banana Island neighborhood of Ikoyi, Lagos State.

Rescue personnel who arrived at the scene to conduct the rescue effort were reported to still be looking for a casualty who had been buried under the debris of the collapsed building.

Around 4.58 pm, the structure, which had been under construction for months, unexpectedly collapsed as workers were going about their everyday jobs inside.

It was learnt that while some of the workers at the site escaped unhurt with some sustaining varying degrees of injury, some other workers, who were unlucky, got trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed structure.

In a bid to rescue the trapped victims, some eyewitnesses, including construction workers at the site of adjoining buildings within the premises, raised the alarm and alerted relevant emergency agencies who mobilised to the scene to commence rescue operations.

Read also:Death toll from Lagos building collapse hits five as search continues

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, in a statement posted on its verified Facebook page, said no approval was given for the construction of the collapsed structure.

The ministry’s Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Mukaila Sanusi, in the statement, said an investigation had commenced into the incident.

The statement reads, “An unapproved seven-floor building under construction has collapsed in Banana Island, Lagos State, this evening.

“Few who sustained injuries are being treated. There is no fatality. This unfortunate incident happened while casting was being done.

“The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tayo Bamgbose-Martins, was immediately on site to assess the situation and flag off the investigation. We ask members of the public to remain calm and expect further information from the ministry as we know more.”

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