Ikoyi collapsed building: Death toll rises to 42, 15 rescued alive

•Tinubu, Nasarawa governor visit site, sympathise with victims’ families

 Etim Ekpimah

Fifteen people have been rescued alive from the collapsed 21-storey building in Ikoyi, Lagos State so far; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State said on Saturday.

Sanwo-Olu, while giving an update on the search and rescue operation at the scene, said additional six people were evacuated alive from the collapsed structure and are currently being treated at the Police Hospital in Falomo, Ikoyi.

The governor went back to the site Saturday in company of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule.

Sanwo-Olu added that 42 bodies had been recovered from the site as of 6 pm on Saturday, giving a clearer manifest of the number of people that were possible at the construction site before the building caved in on Monday.

He said: “There are additional six people that we’ve also been able to identify and who were on site when the building collapsed. They were taken to the Police Hospital in Falomo for treatment and some of them have been discharged. We have taken the full records of survivors in the incident. And this gives a total of 15 people rescued alive. We have a total of 42 bodies that have been recovered.”

Among the latest survivors are a 38-year-old woman, Glory Samson. Others are Ndajor Ahmed, Yunusa Abubaka, Ajiboye Habib, Jeremiah Samson, and one man identified as Emem.

While most of them sustained varying degrees of injury, Samson, 20, is said to be in a coma.

Sanwo-Olu said 49 families had filled the missing persons’ register as of Saturday morning. He said the register had helped the state government to reconcile the details of victims rescued alive and medically account for bodies recovered.

The governor said identification of bodies by relatives had commenced, adding that DNA examination was being undertaken on some of the bodies difficult to be identified by their families.

“There is a sum of money that has been reserved by the state government for succour and to give for befitting burial for those who died in the incident. Families that so wish to accept it are being supported for the burial arrangement.

Also, survivors in hospitals have been given financial support to help them settle and cope with the challenges of feeding in the aftermath of the incident. Meanwhile, the search and rescue operation continued at the site, but the heap had receded sharply.