Tragedy struck in the early hours of Monday as a two-storey building located at 54 Cole Street, near Cemetery Bus Stop, Oyingbo, Lagos, collapsed, leaving one person dead and 26 others rescued.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, led by its Director, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed the development in an official situation report. According to Adeseye, the structure, which had earlier been marked as distressed, caved in around 12:20 a.m., trapping several residents.
She said:
“Update: One recovered dead as survivors rescued alive move to 26.”
Emergency responders from the Sari-Iganmu Fire Station were deployed immediately after a distress call was received. The agency disclosed that rescue operations began swiftly despite the instability of the structure.
Earlier reports indicated that the affected building had shown visible signs of structural weakness before it eventually gave way while residents were still indoors.
As of Monday morning, 15 persons — including seven men, four women, and four children — had been rescued with varying degrees of injuries and taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, and the General Hospital, Odan (Lagos Island) for treatment.
Authorities have since cordoned off the area to prevent further casualties, while investigations are underway to determine the cause of the collapse and establish liability, especially given that the structure was reportedly flagged as unsafe prior to the incident.
The latest collapse adds to the growing concern over building safety and regulatory enforcement in Lagos State, where experts continue to call for stricter compliance with construction standards and proactive monitoring of distressed structures.
