Death toll in Nigeria building collapse rises to 43
A Nigerian Red Cross official says seven more bodies have been recovered from a high-rise apartment building that collapsed while under construction in Lagos, bringing the death toll to 43
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Seven more bodies have been recovered from a high-rise apartment building that collapsed while under construction in Lagos bringing the death toll to 43, a Nigerian Red Cross official said.
Among the dead is Femi Osibona, a director of Fourscore Homes, the real estate company building the 21-story luxury tower, Segun Akande told The Associated Press.
No survivors have been rescued from the site since Tuesday.
It is not known how many people remain missing but one construction worker at the scene estimated that 100 people were working there when it collapsed on Monday, meaning that 48 people could still be missing.
Distraught families are replacing their hopes with fear.
Many of the construction workers were young and from Benin Nigeria’s southern neighbor, according to Ekene Iwuozor, who worked at the site. He escaped the accident as he did not go to work that day, but his 25-year-old brother is among the missing, he said.
“I wasn’t feeling too well, so I told my brother to go and meet me later. Little did I know I won’t see him again,” he said, shaking his head profusely. “I haven’t even told my sister. I haven’t told my father. I have no word yet. Let them just finish (with the rescue operation).”
Workers at the construction site were paid about $5 per day, he said.
Lagos, Nigeria's largest city with more than 14 million people, has begun three days of mourning with flags at half-staff. An investigation has begun to determine what caused the collapse and whether there were lapses on the part of regulatory agencies.
Attention has also shifted to two other high-rise structures being built within the complex where the collapse occurred. Structural integrity tests have been ordered “to safeguard the lives of emergency workers on the rescue operation,” said Lagos Governor Babjide Sanwo-Olu.