Five dead as building in Nigeria’s commercial hub collapses

A three-storey residential building has collapsed in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, killing at least five people with many feared trapped, emergency response services said on Monday.

Ibrahim Farinloye, of Nigeria’s national emergency management agency, said: “Twenty-three people have been rescued alive, including seven children and 16 adults.

“Nine of those rescued alive have been treated and discharged.”

Among the dead are a mother and her son, said Mr Farinloye.

The residential building collapsed late Sunday in the Oyingbo area of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial centre and most populated city with more than 14 million people.

Residents and passersby gathered before dawn as they joined a team of emergency and aid workers who searched through the rubble in search of survivors.

It is not clear how many people were in the building, in a densely populated area of the city.

Building collapses in Nigeria are frequent, including in Lagos, which recorded five such incidents last year, including in November when more than 40 people died when a high-rise block still being constructed crumbled on top of workers.

Authorities face accusations that they have failed to enforce building regulations to make sure that structures are safe.