Nine killed in Lagos building collapse, 27 rescued with injuries

At least nine people were killed when a three-storey residential building collapsed in Lagos on Thursday, say authorities in Nigeria.

Another 27 were rescued with injuries of varying severity, the state’s commissioner for information said on Friday.

The cause has yet to be determined.

Building collapses are common in Nigeria’s financial capital, where rapid urbanisation, substandard construction materials and inadequate regulatory enforcement have long posed a danger to residents.

The latest collapse triggered an immediate multi-agency emergency response.

Rescue teams from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service worked through the day and into the night combing the rubble for survivors.

By Friday morning, LASEMA confirmed that rescue operations had concluded. Nine bodies were recovered, including four adults found dead before emergency responders arrived and five additional victims – among them a two-year-old girl.

The building was in the Alakija neighbourhood near the busy Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Satellite Town.

The densely populated residential and commercial district in the southwestern outskirts of Lagos is characterised by ageing housing and a mix of small businesses serving a largely working-class community.

At the time of the collapse, the building was occupied by residents and office workers, authorities said. It housed several tenants as well as cyber cafes, a photo studio and mobile phone repair shops.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered the Lagos State Building Control Agency to conduct structural integrity assessments on adjoining buildings and enforce compliance with building codes in the area, LASEMA said.