News Obiaks News

At least, Twenty-six more dead bodies were recov­ered on Wednes­day from the scene of the five-storey building un­der construction which collapsed on Tuesday at Lekki Garden Estate Horizon, Ikate Elegushi, Lagos, bringing the total death toll to 44.

The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Mr Michael Akindele, in an interview with newsmen said 13 people were rescued as at the time of this report and that rescue operation was still ongoing.

He said apart from the 13 people rescued on Tuesday, no other person had been rescued alive yesterday, while rescue operation still continued.

As at the time of filing this report, the general manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Michael Akindele said rescue operation was still ongoing and that more bodies had been removed from the debris with no survivor.

He said LASEMA, in conjunction with Nige­rian Police Force (NPF) on Wednesday afternoon, released one of the bodies to the family for Islamic burial after proper docu­mentation.

He identified the indi­vidual as Abba Alli who hails from Borno State, adding that rescue opera­tion was about 61 percent completed.

He said emergency responders on ground were LASEMA, Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) Rapid Re­sponse Squad (RRS), offi­cials of the Nigerian Civil Defence, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Emergency Man­agement Agency (NEMA) and Nigeria Police.

In the meantime, La­gos State Government has asked the directors of the construction company handling the collapsed building to report them­selves to the Commission­er of Police in their own interest.