The mall, which is said to belong to a popular politician in the state and still under construction, caved in at about 3.20pm shortly after the construction workers had completed the casting of that particular section.
The Site Manager of Cappa and Dalberto, the company handling the project, who gave his name simply as Christian, said investigations would be conducted to find out the actual cause of the unfortunate incident.
The manager said that five people sustained minor injuries and were immediately rushed to the Lagos State Emergency Centre by the operatives of State Ambulance Services, who arrived the scene almost immediately.
He explained that construction workers had finished for the day, but were just waiting to allow the casting dry up when it suddenly gave way.
He said, “Please understand us, we cannot tell you what has caused the collapse. We will look into it.”
The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed that five persons were rescued from the debris.
Oke-Osanyintolu said that the government could not ascertain the cause of the collapse but that it would embark on investigation immediately to unravel the root of the accident.
“The state Ministry of Physical Planning will have to visit the site to investigate the cause of the collapse while the debris is being evacuated. For now, we have sealed off part of the area where the crack occurred,” he said.
Also speaking on the situation, the Head of Disaster and Management, Nigeria Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Francis Obinna, who was at the scene with some of the officers, said NCDC officials were there to ensure safety and security.
“Five persons are injured and have been rushed to the hospital. They were workers casting the decking when the building collapsed. Emergency response teams were here and attended to the situation promptly.
“All other persons have also been evacuated from the scene,” Obinna said.
Spokesman of the state Police Command, Mr. Frank Mba, who confirmed the incident, said it was not a major one.
“It was not a building collapse per se. You know these buildings that they build in columns; the mall was built like that. It was some of the columns that collapsed and injured four people. The police were there to make sure that the incident was not turned into something else by hoodlums,” he said.
Source: Pounch
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