One worker was trapped in the rubble when a storey building collapsed during manual demolition at Adedoyin Street Ijegun Ikotun in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State on Monday.
Another worker who sustained a hand injury in the incident had been taken to the hospital before the arrival of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) response team.
LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu disclosed this in a statement stating that rescue operations are ongoing at the scene.
He said the agency received a distress call about the collapse at about 1:44pm and immediately deployed its Beta Team from the Igando Base.
The response team working with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) commenced a coordinated search and rescue operation to recover the trapped worker.
The area was cordoned off to prevent secondary hazards while the state government promised to investigate the immediate and underlying causes of the collapse and establish whether building regulations were followed.
Meanwhile LASEMA said its response teams had managed three other incidents across the state.
At Iyana Oworo inward the Third Mainland Bridge a Lexus Jeep with registration number BDG 404 KA somersaulted at about 1:30am following a loss of control attributed to reckless driving.
One adult male sustained injuries and was taken to hospital before the arrival of the agency’s team. No death was recorded.
The team cordoned off the scene managed traffic and evacuated the damaged vehicle to a lay-by with the assistance of a private tow truck. The operation was completed restoring free movement along the corridor.
At Ayetoro Road Epe an empty gas tanker with registration number T30015LA veered into the road median after its brakes reportedly failed while climbing the hilly Paramount Road near Okeabata Junction.
The truck blocked about 97 per cent of the roadway although no casualty was recorded.
LASEMA’s Whales Team from the Epe Base working with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service’s Okeoso Station secured the scene and arranged for a private tow van to recover the tanker.
In another incident at Arena Oshodi a truck conveying goods broke down on a railway track following a mechanical failure involving its propeller obstructing train movement.
The agency’s Beta Eagle Team from the Cappa Base alongside officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and soldiers diverted traffic while awaiting the arrival of LASEMA’s heavy-duty equipment Super Metro.
The truck was subsequently evacuated to a safe lay-by allowing both rail and road movements to resume.
Oke-Osanyintolu urged developers property owners and contractors to comply with building regulations and engage certified professionals for demolition and construction works.
He also advised motorists to avoid reckless driving and maintain their vehicles regularly to prevent avoidable accidents.