The seven-story building under construction that collapsed on Wednesday, shattered the peace and serenity of Banana Island, Ikoyi, a highbrow Lagos community.
Owing to the quick response of emergency management workers who rushed to the scene no life was lost. Although some who were trapped under the rubble came out with critical injuries.
While some of the victims were taken to the Lagos Island General Hospital, others were admitted to the Falomo Police Hospital, Ikoyi.
READ ALSO: In Banana Island, A Six-Story Building Collapses
Among those lucky to escape with their life is site engineer and supervisor, Timothy Omotosho. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was rushed to the general hospital, where doctors pulled him out of the jaws of death.
According to newsmen who visited the medical facility the victim, along with four others were found lying on the bed critically injured.
Making an account of the incident, Omotosho said he was supervising the concrete casting on the seventh floor when the slab suddenly broke into two.
The supervisor noted that, unlike other workers who started fleeing for their lives, he was too much in shock to move.
READ ALSO: No Life Lost In Banana Island Building Collapse – Lagos State Emergency Management Agency
He said, “We were casting the seventh-floor slab. I was supervising the casting of the concrete. We were like 80 percent done; before I knew what was happening, a side of the slab broke into two. Some of my guys immediately started running down the stairs, but I didn’t know what to do. I was in shock. I was just standing there.
“The next thing, the building collapsed on me when I was still on the seventh floor, and when I opened my eyes, I was on the ground floor. All I know is someone carried me and I found myself in a vehicle.”
Omotosho said the concrete used on the building was pre-mixed by a company and every batch was tested for integrity before it was used.
He noted that he could not fathom what went wrong that led to the collapse of the building.
Three other victims in the same ward with Omotosho sustained varying degrees of injuries.
While one had an injury on his shoulder, the other had an injury on both knees.
The last victim had his head all wrapped in a bandage with one of his eyes completely covered.
It was gathered that he would be going for a CT scan to ascertain the extent of his injuries.
The fifth survivor was at a different section of the general hospital, where he was being treated for a broken spine.
When our correspondent visited the Falomo Police Hospital, Ikoyi, a nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said 10 people were rushed to the facility.
“Six of the 10 have been discharged; they sustained minor injuries, but the remaining four are still under observation,” she added.
In the Accident and Emergency Ward, there was one patient, while two other patients, a carpenter, Ramon Oladapo, and one David, were admitted to the surgical ward
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