On 8 March 2016, a five-story building collapsed while under construction in Lekki District, Lagos, Nigeria. At least 34 people were killed.[1][2] Thirteen other people were pulled from the collapsed building alive in a rescue operation that ended late on 10 March.[3]
Investigation
Ibrahim Farinloye, from the National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria, said in a statement that "Investigation on the cause of the collapse has started by various federal and state agencies". The Lagos state government said in a statement that preliminary reports suggest the building construction was illegal, with the builders having been served a contravention notice for exceeding the number of allowed floors.[2] The owners of the building apparently “criminally unsealed the property and continued building beyond the approved floors.”[3] Heavy rain had occurred in the area as well, with some pointing to that as an exacerbating factor.
Victor Suru, a bricklayer working on the building, stated that "After they (the owners) finished building the house, rain fell and the house shifted a bit. They put iron in front of the house, (but) the iron couldn't hold the house. They left it like that and continued building."[4]
