Death toll at 15 in Nigeria building collapse: Official

By Olarewaju Kola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA)- An emergency official on Tuesday confirmed 16 persons died and nine others rescued alive from the scene of collapse building in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial city,

Ibrahim Farinloye, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said more dead bodies were recovered from the scene by Tuesday evening.

He had earlier put the death toll at 10.

"Six additional bodies recovered making 15 bodies and nine rescued alive from the scene," he told Anadolu Agency.

On Monday, a 21-story building, still undergoing construction in the affluence Ikoyi neighborhood of Lagos, came down.

Dozens of construction workers were suspected to be trapped in the rubbles and twisted irons at the site.

Many residents swamped the scene in search of their relatives as emergency workers struggle to clear the debris of the collapsed blocks late Monday, witnesses said.

Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, in a statement on Tuesday, also confirmed nine people have been rescued alive.

He also announced the suspension of head of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) from office as directed by the governor and setting up of a probe panel to investigate the incident.

Incidents of building collapse are relatively common in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub with a population of around 20 million.

Twenty people died after a three-story private building that was converted to a school collapsed in March 2019.