The Lagos deputy governor, Femi Hamzat, has said that the building that collapsed in Ikoyi, Lagos, had approval for 21 floors and not 15, but that the construction company compromised on integrity.
He added that 10 casualties have been confirmed, while nine persons have been rescued from the rubbles.
Hamzat made the revelation while addressing journalists at the scene of the incident, adding that “it’s a search and rescue operation.”
According to him, “two people were rescued alive this morning(Tuesday) while some confirmed dead.
“The total number of people rescued so far is nine (currently undergoing treatment at a nearby clinic) while we have a record of 10 casualties.
“Our focus is to see how we can rescue more people in the building.
“We heard a voice of a lady trapped in the building. So, we’re not sure of the number of persons trapped.
“It’s a search and rescue operation and we hope to save more lives,” he said.
On the punitive measures put in place by the government to curtail another incident of such in the future, the deputy governor said structural measures are in place to inspect the buildings within and around the state regularly.
On the building approval plan, the deputy governor said, “The approval for the building, this particular one that collapsed, was approved for 21 floors, not 15.”
