The Government of Lagos state, South West Nigeria has confirmed that some persons were injured in the seven-storey building collapse in Banana Island, a high brow area of Lagos.
The building at First Avenue, Banana Island, Ikoyi, collapsed on Wednesday around 3 pm.
The Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mukaila Sanusi, said a few persons sustained injuries and have been given proper medical treatment.
Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said seven persons have been rescued from the collapsed building.
The Lagos Territorial Coordinator of the agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, while giving an update on the incident said apart from the rescued victims, one person was rushed to a hospital where he is being treated.
He praised the emergency responders for their swiftness.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said that the seven-storey building collapsed was caused by a heavy-duty truck. LASEMA in a statement said the truck ran into the building, causing it to collapse but added that no life was lost.
According to the emergency agency, while recovery operations are still ongoing, the agency is working to make sure no secondary incident occurs on the collapse site.
The Lagos state government has now commenced investigation into the circumstances that led to the collapse of the seven story building under construction in Banana Island.
A statement by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, said the probe followed a directive by the State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Part of the statement reads:”The Lagos State Government has launched a probe into the collapse of a seven-storey building under construction on Banana Island, Ikoyi, following a directive by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.”
Omotosho also said that the building project site had now been sealed because it lacked the approval to commence Construction work.
Banana Island is one of the most expensive places to live in Africa. It is an artificial island off the foreshore of Ikoyi, Lagos. The name of the island derives from the curvature of its shape.