The Lagos state government has suspended all development plans on Banana Island after the collapse of a seven-storey building under construction on First Avenue.
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, in a statement on Thursday, said the process was to ensure that a comprehensive audit was done by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency.
He also revealed that the audit will help the state government determine the number of buildings being constructed without proper approval as well as verify if approved buildings are being built in line with the approval limits provided.
The statement read, “The Lagos State Government has launched a probe into the collapse of a seven-storey building under construction on Banana Island, Ikoyi, following a directive by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The document also read, Nobody died in the incident, which occurred on Wednesday as of the time of this report. Twenty-five people were rescued from the site, which Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) scanned with a high-precision 3-D Laser Imagery System for life, and found no evidence of anyone trapped in the rubble.
According to Omotoso, site supervisors, with everyone accounted for. LASEMA has continued with the excavation of the site, using the architectural designs. The site has also been divided into quadrants for a painstaking search and rescue operation. Presently, quadrants 2 and 3 have been levelled to ground zero, having completed the search operation. Quadrants 1 and 4 are ongoing.”
The LASG spokesman also noted that the Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi has visited the site and hospitals where victims of the incident were admitted.
Omotosho said out of the 25 persons rescued, 16 with moderate injuries were admitted to General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island, and Police Hospital Falomo for treatment and care. Nine others with minor injuries, such as bruises, were treated and discharged at the site by Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS).
In his statement, of 16 persons on admission, 11 were taken to Police Hospital Falomo. Eight of the 11 persons have been treated and discharged. Some are required to come for daily follow-up and management. Three with various injuries, including blunt traumatic chest injury, knee injuries, deep lacerations, and others, are on admission.
