Death toll from the collapsed 21-storey building on Gerrard road in Ikoyi, Lagos, Southwest has increased to 36.
Gatekeepers News reports that National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed that 36 bodies have been recovered from the collapsed high-rise building.
Acting Coordinator of the Lagos Territorial Office of the NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye confirmed this in a message he wrote to journalists on Thursday morning.
Farinloye wrote, “So far, 36 people – 33 males and three female — have been confirmed dead, while there were nine survivors.”
The survivors include one female and eight males.
Meanwhile, the operation to rescue those trapped in the rubble of the 21-storey building which collapsed on Monday afternoon, trapping dozens of people is still ongoing.
Despite the daily increase in the death toll, families, and friends of people trapped in the rubble have kept vigil at the scene, clinging onto hope and seeking answers.
The Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu earlier put the death toll at 21 when he visited the scene on Wednesday afternoon.
Although the cause of the collapse is yet to be determined, the governor has said there were obvious violations and “mistakes from all angles” in the tragedy.
Meanwhile, the Governor has set up a panel of inquiry into the incident and promised that those found culpable will be punished.
