Hundreds of workers narrowly averted death on Sunday when a three-story structure under construction in the Alaba Oro region of Lagos State suddenly collapsed.

According to a source, the incident occurred as a result of a strong wind that rushed over the area following Saturday’s heavy rain.

It was learnt that several workers who were still hibernating beneath the unfinished structure were able to flee as the building’s foundation began to shake before finally collapsing.

Emergency responders who were alerted, later arrived the scene of the incident and immediately cordoned off the area to prevent secondary incident from happening.

It was discovered that the developer and the owner of the structure had earlier been served a warning notice by relevant agency of the state but it was ignored and went ahead with the construction work before the unfortunate incident occurred, reports NEWS DIRECT.

Director-General of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, who later arrived the scene along with his men, confirmed that no casualty was recorded, while the building was immediately sealed off following discovery of violation of building codes.

Other emergency responders at the scene were: Nigeria Police, Lagos State Safety Commission, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA), among others.

According to Oke-Osanyintolu: “The Agency received a distress call in the early hours of Sunday afternoon, June 27, 202, concerning a collapsed building at the above address.

“This led to the immediate activation of the agency’s response plan and necessary deployment of resources to the incident scene.

“Upon arrival of the agency’s officials (Cobra Team) as well as other stakeholders (Nigeria Police Force, Lagos State Safety Commission and LASBCA at the incident scene, it was observed that the 3-storey building undergoing construction collapsed as a result of a heavy wind.

“Beside the heavy wind, it was also discovered that the collapse occurred as a result of substandard building materials used by the developer.

“Fortunately, no casualty nor fatality recorded.

“According to LABSCA, who were also on ground for on-the-spot assemment, the building had been previously marked for a caution by officials but the developer ignored the warning.”

Subsequently, the affected building was sealed pending arrival of the LASEMA’s heavy duty equipment excavator to the scene.

When contacted on Monday, Oke-Osanyintolu said the structure had been demolished to the ground level for safety of the residents and adjoining building.

Oke-Osanyintolu, however, said that after further investigations the title of the effected property might be revoked if the owner is found wanting.

LASEMA, however, in it’s recommendations, called for: Continuous sensitisation and advocacy on necessary safety precautions that should be embarked upon by the agency, adherence to the building codes of the state should be enforced by relevant government agencies, among others. (New Telegraph)

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