Staff ReporterReports coming in from Lagos Nigeria claim that up to a 100 Nigerian construction workers are missing after a luxury residential highrise under construction in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos collapsed on Monday, trapping construction workers under a pile of concrete rubble, witnesses said.
A body was retrieved and at least three survivors were pulled out on Monday night (Tuesday AEDT) as rescue workers raced against the clock to dig up victims at the site in the affluent neighbourhood of Ikoyi, where many blocks of flats are under construction.
At least six people have been confirmed dead according to the state emergency chief, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu.
“Currently all responders are on the ground as search and rescue is ongoing,” he said.
Four people were rescued alive and three more treated for minor injuries at the scene.
Workers said that possibly 100 people were at work when the building came crashing down.
The collapsed building was part of three towers being built by private developer Fourscore Homes. In a brochure for potential clients, the company promises to offer “a stress-free lifestyle, complete with a hotel flair”. The cheapest unit was selling for $US1.2 million ($1.6 million).
Rescue workers used excavators to dig through rubble using generator-powered floodlights, with efforts continuing at day break. President Muhammadu Buhari called for rescue efforts to be stepped up
There were heaps of rubble and twisted metal where the building once stood, as several workers looked on. One man wailed, saying his relative was among those trapped.
The Lagos state government said the building had 22 floors and authorities were assessing whether there had been any damage to nearby buildings.
A high-rise building under construction has collapsed in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, leaving serval workers trapped, according to eyewitnesses.
Calls to the numbers listed for Fourscore Homes and the main building contractor went unanswered.
Building collapses are frequent in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, where regulations are poorly enforced and construction materials often substandard.