A pregnant woman, the proprietor of the nursery/Primary school and 19 others, including no fewer than 12 pupils died in the collapsed building at Massey Street, Itafaji on Lagos Island on Wednesday, witnesses and hospital sources said.
However, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said eight persons died, while 34 others were rescued in the wreckage of the building that collapsed at about 10 am. Lagos State Emergency Management Agency did not give the number of the dead, but said it rescued 10 persons out of the wreckage. The agency said its rescue team and other agencies brought out 10 people alive, made up of three adult females, one adult male, two teenage boys, ine young boy and three teenage girls. The South-West Zonal Head of Public Affairs of the Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye said the rescue operation was ongoing as at 8 p.m. Most of the victims were rescued from the rubble on Wednesday, but died at the General Hospital as doctors failed to save them. The pregnant woman was one of the persons rescued from the rubble, immediately after the building collapsed, but she died in the hospital.
Other persons reported dead as at 8 p. m. included the proprietress of the school, Ohen Nursery and Primary School, about 12 pupils and some occupants of the building. About 10 different families occupied the first and the ground floors, while the school occupied the second and fourth floors. The building at 63 Massey Street, it was learnt had been marked for demolition by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency. However, the occupants of the building frustrated the demolition. 17 of the rescued students and occupants of the building were taken to Massey Children Hospital, very close to the scene, while others were taken to the Lagos Island General Hospital on Broad Street.
A worker at the Massey Children Hospital, said that four out of those brought in, died few minutes after. The medical staff said that six of those who were rushed to the Lagos General Hospital also died. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who visited the scene said the government would ensure that the trapped victims were rescued. The school moved to the collapsed building some years ago.
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