The building, whose balcony had already cracked, had shown some signs of distress prior to the partial collapse of the structure it suffered around 8:30 a.m.
The balcony of the building located at 9 Alli Close, Mile 12 collapsed on the woman, whose name could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.
The General Manager of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Mr. Michael Akindele, confirmed the incident in a statement, saying rescue operation was ongoing. He ascribed the incident to poor maintenance of the building, explaining that the incident was a partial collapse which affected the balcony of the building.
Speaking on the incident, the general manager assured stakeholders that full scale investigation as to the actual cause would be carried out by relevant government agencies.
“One female victim was killed and the building has been cordoned off for safety. The agencies on ground include LASEMA, ERT, Lagos State Fire Service and the Nigerian Police Force, Alapere division. Investigation and assessment conducted revealed that the building had shown sign of distress as some portion of the balcony was caving in.
“The 47-year-old woman sustained bodily injury and died on her way to the hospital. The occupants of the 16-room building have been evacuated and the building condoned off for safety. Agencies on ground include LASEMA Emergency Response Team and Lagos State Fire Service and the Nigerian police force Alapere division and The LASAMBUS”, he added.
Akindele, who advised the public to report cases of distressed buildings and other emergencies in their communities and neighbourhoods for appropriate action to forestall ugly recurrence building collapse.
He said the task of ensuring a building collapse free Lagos “is a collective responsibility of every citizen, saying any see substandard building, he or she should quickly alert government to avert tragedy.”