One person has been confirmed dead while three others are receiving medical attention, after a two-storey building under construction collapsed on Friday at Akinola Street, Fadeyi Bus Stop, off Ikorodu Road, Lagos.

The permanent secretary for the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said in a statement that the agency received a distress call about the collapse at 12:10 a.m. and activated its Cobra Response Team from Onipanu Base, which arrived at the scene at 12:12 a.m.

Stating that the search and rescue operation commenced immediately, Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said the team discovered that construction workers were suspected to be trapped beneath the debris after groaning sounds were still heard beneath the rubble, indicating possible survivors.

The official assured that efforts were ongoing to pull them from the rubble, adding that safety measures were in place to protect the victims and emergency responders. He said the agency deployed an excavator to support the search and rescue operation, noting that the rescued victims received immediate pre-hospital care from LASEMA paramedics and the Lagos State Ambulance Service before being transferred to a hospital.

The official said the cause of the collapse had yet to be determined and relevant regulatory agencies would investigate it. He commiserated with the family of the deceased and wished the rescued victims a speedy recovery.

Mr Oke-Osanyintolu reiterated the government’s commitment to tackling substandard construction and strengthening monitoring and enforcement in collaboration with the Lagos State Building Control Agency to prevent similar incidents.