One More Body Recovered in Lagos Building Collapse as Death Toll Rises to Nine

June 26 () — The death toll from Thursday’s collapse of a shopping complex at Alakija Bus Stop in the Satellite Town area of Lagos has risen to nine after emergency responders recovered one more body from the rubble, while 27 persons were rescued alive in an operation that ended in the early hours of Friday.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) announced the updated casualty figures after concluding an intensive overnight search, rescue, and recovery exercise at the site of the disaster in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area.

In a statement issued on Friday by the agency’s Head of Public Affairs, Afolabi Olawale, LASEMA said emergency responders reached ground zero at about 4:00 a.m., bringing the operation to a close after accounting for all victims believed to have been trapped beneath the collapsed structure.

The building, located at Alakija Bus Stop along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, collapsed at about 12:47 p.m. on Thursday, triggering a large-scale emergency response involving multiple state and federal agencies.

LASEMA said its Sharks Response Team from the Lekki Base and the Alpha Cobra Squad from Onipanu were immediately mobilised to the scene, arriving within 40 minutes of receiving the distress call to commence coordinated rescue operations.

The operation brought together personnel from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).

According to the agency, all 27 rescued victims received immediate pre-hospital emergency care from LASAMBUS personnel before being transported to nearby hospitals for further medical treatment.

LASEMA disclosed that the nine fatalities comprised four adults who were confirmed dead before emergency responders arrived and five additional victims recovered during the painstaking search operation, including a two-year-old girl.

The agency said the remains of the deceased had been handed over to the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit for proper identification and subsequent release to their families.

It noted that heavy-duty equipment played a crucial role in the rescue effort, with one excavator deployed by LASEMA complementing two others provided by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to carefully clear the debris and reach trapped victims.

LASEMA further stated that the Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, alongside the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, provided strategic leadership and supervision throughout the operation.

Following the tragedy, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, directed the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) to immediately carry out structural integrity assessments on adjoining buildings and enforce strict compliance with building regulations within the area.

The agency expressed sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives and wished the injured victims a speedy recovery. It also urged residents to promptly report distressed or defective buildings to LASBCA or through LASEMA’s toll-free emergency lines, 112 and 767, stressing that timely reporting remains critical to preventing avoidable disasters.