One person has died, and two others have been rescued after a two-storey building undergoing manual demolition collapsed in Aboru, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The incident occurred at about 12:56am on Thursday at No. 42, Governors Road, Aboru, according to the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu.
Oke-Osanyintolu said emergency responders were alerted following a distress call, and the agency immediately deployed its Alpha Eagle Response Team to the scene.
Preliminary findings indicated that the building collapsed while workers were carrying out manual demolition activities, trapping some of them beneath the debris.
“On arrival, first responders confirmed that the structure had collapsed during demolition activities, with workers trapped under the debris,” the permanent secretary said.
LASEMA subsequently activated the state’s Emergency Response Plan and assumed coordination of the rescue operation, working alongside other emergency agencies.
Rescuers eventually extricated two adult males alive from the rubble. Personnel of the Lagos State Ambulance Service, LASAMBUS, administered first aid to the survivors before transporting them to a nearby health facility for further medical attention.
One other adult male was recovered dead from beneath the collapsed structure.
“Sadly, one adult male was recovered dead from beneath the collapsed structure. The agency commiserates with the family of the deceased and prays for the quick recovery of the injured,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.
The rescue operation involved LASEMA, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and LASAMBUS.
Authorities also cordoned off the affected area to protect residents and create a safe working environment for emergency personnel involved in the search and rescue operation.
Oke-Osanyintolu urged residents, property owners and developers to comply with building regulations and ensure that demolition and construction activities are handled by certified professionals.
He also advised residents to report any suspicious or unsafe building activity to emergency authorities through Lagos State’s 767 and 112 toll-free emergency numbers.
According to him, the Lagos State Government remains committed to strengthening emergency response operations, including the decentralisation of response units as part of efforts to achieve a 10-minute response time across the state.
The latest incident adds to concerns over building safety in Lagos, where structural collapses have repeatedly resulted in fatalities and injuries.
On June 25, eight people were killed and 26 others rescued after a three-storey building collapsed in the Alakija area of the state.
That building, located on Old Ojo Road by Alakija Bus Stop, off the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Satellite Town, collapsed at about 11:37am, according to LASEMA.
The incident triggered a large-scale emergency operation involving several government agencies.
While Thursday’s collapse occurred during demolition rather than normal building use, emergency authorities again stressed the importance of adhering to safety requirements when carrying out structural work.
