Death toll hits eight, 26 rescued in Alakija building collapse

At least eight people, including an infant girl, have been confirmed dead after a three-storey shopping complex collapsed in the Alakija area of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway on Thursday.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) disclosed that emergency responders rescued 26 other victims from the rubble as search and rescue operations continued at the scene.

Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, confirmed the updated casualty figures in an incident briefing on Thursday evening. The structural failure, which affected a building housing numerous shops and business premises, prompted the immediate activation of the state’s emergency response system.

Emergency response activated

Oke-Osanyintolu stated that a systematic, multi-agency operation was launched immediately after the incident was reported. Responders deployed specialized equipment to search the debris systematically and extricate anyone trapped beneath the structural remains.

Read also: Lagos building collapse: Eight confirmed dead, 26 rescued

Initial rescue efforts by officials from LASEMA, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), and the CRCC Construction Company yielded two live rescues and the recovery of one deceased adult male early in the day.

However, emergency officials noted that additional shop owners and shoppers who had resumed business activities on Thursday morning might still be trapped inside the collapsed ruins.

Coordinated rescue efforts

Heavy-duty equipment, including an excavator, was deployed to accelerate access to the lower sections of the rubble. The collapse has caused significant traffic congestion along the critical expressway corridor.

Personnel from the Nigerian Police Force, the Nigerian Navy, and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) remain on-site alongside emergency services to manage the situation and coordinate safety protocols around the Alakija axis.