By Charles Adingupu
The entire neighbourhood of Ikoyi, Lagos was thrown into frenzy when a Seven-Storey building collapsed like a pack of card in the high brow Banana Highland, Ikoyi, Lagos.
The ugly incident which happened at about 4 am took residents in the area by storm as domestic staff and others adjacent to the collapsed structure scampered to safety.
As at the time of filing in this report, unspecified number of workers are still trapped in the rumble.
Already, the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASMA) has dispatched its workforce for rescue mission.
A release from the Agency, disclosed that no death has been recorded thus far, as victims of the collapsed building suffered minor injuries as those rescued from the rumbles are currently undergoing treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Lagos.
The Lagos State government denied granting approval for the Seven-Storey collapsed building .
But a eye witness told The New Diplomat that signs of defects in the structure started manifesting when the builder gets to the fifth floor, adding that those signs were ignored.
A civil engineer who proffered anonymity disclosed to The New Diplomat that the foundation of the structure was meant for three-storey building but was surprised that the developer turned it into a Seven-Storey building.
“That’s the problem with developers, who, out greed disregard structural engineering guidelines. It’s possible the developer of this structure would have gone beyond Seven-Storey building had the structure not caved in,” he said.
It would be recalled that a 21-Storey building collapsed in Ikoyi last year and in its wake, the developer, workers and bystanders died in the process.
Till date, the report of the collapsed structure was swept under the carpet.
There are strong indications that this incident would suffer similar fate as the identity of the owner of the collapsed structure is still under wraps.
