TheCable

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Wednesday said it recovered two more bodies from the debris of collapsed building in Lagos, bringing the death toll to eight.

Ibrahim Farinloye, south-west spokesman for NEMA, gave the update in an interview with NAN in Lagos.

Farinloye said the four-storey building collapsed on Tuesday afternoon.

He told NAN that the rescue team completed the operation after reaching the ground zero around 1:30pm.

He said an integrity test would be carried out on other buildings in the area to prevent recurrence of the incident.

Farinloye said the collapsed building was initially a bungalow before it was converted to a four-storey with a penthouse.

He said the required six-foot in-between building was not observed in the area, adding that the adjacent building was also under threat of collapse.

Farinloye advised the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency to prevail on house owners to renovate their buildings regularly.

He said the advice followed the challenges of the climate change which might have effects on buildings in view of high volume of rainfall this year.

NEMA spokesman urged building contractors to avoid the use of substandard materials in their construction works.

One of the residents of the area, Yusuf Align, blamed the collapse on greed by the landlords.

”They know it is an old building and they allowed one of the communication networks to erect a mast on top of it,” he said.

“Even, if they have paid them N10 million or more, what have they gained now?” he asked.