One dead, 10 trapped as building collapses in Lagos

One person was confirmed dead and at least 10 people are believed to have been trapped when a building, at Bashiru Street, Ojodu-Berger, Lagos State crumbled like a pack of cards.
The building, which is a three storey building, is said to house a Four Square Gospel Church.
Six people were injured and one of them is a pastor.
The deceased is a 25-year-old man.
It was gathered that a meeting was going on in the church when the building collapsed while some masons were up there doing some work on the last floor of the building.
A resident in the street, who identified herself as Stephanie Kanu, said that there were signs of defect and that the building had been in bad shape and that the foundation was faulty.
Kanu said that instead of pulling it down, the landlord had been building more flats over it in spite of the fact that virtually all the floors were uncompleted.
But for the timely intervention of neighbours and the Lagos State Environmental Management Agency, casualties would have been more as those who were rescued were driven to the hospital for medical attention.
The LASEMA boss, Dr. Olufemi Osayintolu, said that they got wind of the disaster 10 minutes after the collapse and mobilised to rescue the victims.
About 10 construction workers are feared to be trapped in the collapsed building.
The building collapsed at about 5:30pm.
But officials confirmed about four of the workers were trapped.
Immediately the incident happened, residents of the area were said to have alerted the relevant agencies, including the police.
One body, as at 6:30pm on Tuesday, had been recovered, while no fewer than 10 other construction workers were still trapped in the collapsed building as at press time.
The building was said to be under construction and renovation and that the affected workers were bricklayers, carpenters and labourers.
It was further gathered from a resident in the area that some of the workers were almost through for the day’s work, when the building caved in.
Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, the Lagos State Emergency Agency, the Nigerian Police Force and other rescued operators had immediately stormed the scene intent on rescue operation.
Spokespersons of NEMA in the South West, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the incident but claimed that only four bodies were trapped.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Lagos Stare, Toyin Ayinde, a town planner, confirmed the incident last night.
Ayinde insisted that only one died and one was injured.
He said the injured was rushed to a nearby hospital.
He added that there was a building approval for the project before it collapsed.