Panic gripped residents of Oremeta Street in the Ojodu area of Lagos State on Saturday morning as a two-storey building housing the Equal Right Restaurant collapsed, trapping several people inside.
The incident, which occurred around 9 am, reportedly trapped restaurant workers, customers, and a family who were at the scene at the time of the collapse.
When journalists visited the site, emergency response teams, including the Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, National Emergency Management Agency, and Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services, were seen at the scene carrying out rescue operations.
Several sympathisers were also at the site.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr. Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed that five persons had been rescued alive as of the time of this report.
“We are approaching the situation systematically, using heavy-duty and light-duty equipment to get to ground zero.
“We have credible information that more people are still under the rubble, so we are moving from one layer to the next, carefully checking for any survivors before proceeding,” he said.
Rescue efforts are still ongoing.
The PUNCH
