Posted by By TESSY OKOYE and MATTHEW DIK on
A day-old baby and two others were yesterday rescued from the rubble of the three-story building that collapsed on Wednesday at No. 6, Okepopo Street by Olushi, Lagos Island.
A day-old baby and two others were yesterday rescued from the rubble of the three-story building that collapsed on Wednesday at No. 6, Okepopo Street by Olushi, Lagos Island.
However, the mother of the infant did not live to nurse the child, as her corpse was pulled out at about 11.30 p.m. on Wednesday
Five other dead bodies were also recovered at the site, bringing the total number of fatalities recorded to six.
The fear that people might still be trapped in the debris was dispelled after an earthmover manned by Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), painstakingly excavated the site, before tearing apart what was left of the ill-fated house.
Tears flowed freely from families and relations of the victims, especially relations of the woman who had just put to bed. They just could not understand why they were visited with a mixed blessing.
According to a relative of the deceased, the baby was barely seven hours old when the tragedy occurred. She disclosed that the cry of the baby led to his being rescued on time and rushed to the hospital.
'We lost the mother, but we are consoled by the fact that the child is alive. She is being treated in a nearby hospital. We are yet to break the news to the husband of the woman," she said.
An eyewitness, Alhaji Kazeem Razaak, said the building crumbled at about 5.30pm, trapping mainly those who came to felicitate with the family of the newborn baby.
'Unfortunately, those that came to greet the mother and child never made it out alive. All we heard was a loud noise and dust covered the whole place. When we got to where the house once stood, people were screaming from under the rubble, but there was little we could do", he said.
A woman, who identified herself simply as Iya Alalubosa, was full of thanks to God for sparing her life, after having lived in the house for 13 years and two months.
She told Daily Sun that she had always lived with trepidation in the house, as it had always shown signs of distress.
In her words: 'I am the most lucky person on earth. Look at me, a poor woman to be so highly favoured by God. I was the first person to move into that building, but moved out two weeks ago. Plasters have always peeled off from the house. And each time I report, they would call me a witch and warn me to mind my business. I have always complained, but they won't listen."
Two of the people who cheated death, narrated their experience to Daily Sun on their hospital bed in excruciating pains.
One of the lucky survivors, Boonyamin Awojeyo said he was about settling down for a meal of rice and stew in his mother's shop on the ground floor, when the building caved in on him. Though he is being treated for laceration and a fractured thigh, he is full of thanks to God for making the rescue team discover him on time.
'I am very lucky because I was the first person rescued from the building. I always knew something was wrong with the house. Anytime we opened our shop in the morning, particles of earth would have fallen all over the place. I was about eating when I noticed that the decking was caving in. Before I could run out, I was trapped by heavy slabs and dust. I don't think I would have survived longer than the time I was pulled from the rubble. I thank God that I sent my younger brother on an errand. If not, he would have suffered the same fate with me."
Another survivor, Amina Babalola, could not help asking for her son who she feared might have died in the tragedy. Choking under emotion, she narrated her ordeal to Daily Sun:
'I went there to visit my brother's wife that just had a baby. We were on the second floor when suddenly I noticed that the next floor was about falling on us. I can't remember what happened. I only woke up to find myself in the hospital with a broken leg. I don't know what happened to my son. God should please make him survive. He is all I have."
A mother, identified as Amuda, who operated a beer parlour was said to have narrowly escaped death but her one and half year old son, Ayomide was not lucky as he was crushed to death with the three other kids who were playing with him.
Six-year-old Almeeni Orimadegun has become the hero in his family as he was the person that alerted his elder sister, Sherifat that the 'building had cracked and was about to fall."
Sherifat, according to their in-law, Yemi, did not ask any question but rushed three other family kids in the house out. Less than three metres out of the building, it collapsed.
Funke Are, who witnessed the incident, told Daily Sun that there were indications that the building would collapse. She disclosed that the house that was built in 1996 on swampy ground had always had cracks running through it. She also raised fears of possible collapse of two houses close to the scene of the disaster.
The General Manager of Lagos State Physical Planning and Urban Development (LASPHDA), Mr Ali Taoreed, told Daily Sun that two buildings had already been marked for demolition.
'The people in the buildings have been evacuated. We would demolish the two houses to avoid recording another tragedy. Any other building noticed to pose any danger would be demobilized immediately, he said.