Rescue officials kept on removing dead bodies

Death toll in the collapsed five-storey building in Lekki area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria has risen to 16 as at 6:55pm on Tuesday.

Rescue officials kept on removing dead bodies until the body count  reached 16 , says Michael Akindele, General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA.

Akindele who  at 4.00pm confirmed that the death toll had risen to 10, said it has gone  higher  to 16 .

He said survivor figure has also moved to 12 . He said the injured  have been taken away for treatment by the Lagos State Ambulance Service, LASAMBUS while the deceased were being packed by the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit, SEHMU to be taken to the mortuary.

Akindele said rescue operation was still on as three excavators were being used in the rescue operation as well as other search and rescue equipment.

The 5-storey building collapsed in Lekki area of Lagos, Nigeria at the early hours of Tuesday. The collapsed building might not be unconnected with the heavy rainfall will lasted for hours at the early hours of Tuesday.

The building collapsed at the Lekki Garden Estate Horizon, Ikate Elegushi early in the morning following a heavy downpour.

 Many people, who were  workers at the site were believed to have slept inside the uncompleted structure before it caved in.

 Rescue operators include officers of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Lagos State Fire Services, Lagos State Ambulance Service, LASAMBUS, Rapid Response Squad, RRS, Civil Defence, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Navy and the Nigeria police.