- No death reported – Police
- Five trapped workers rescued, hospitalised
- Search for victims ends
- I am grateful I came out alive – Survivor
Emergency workers deployed to carry out rescue operations at the site of the collapsed building in Bode area of Ibadan have left the site after concluding their search for trapped victims and no cases of death was reported.
The building came crashing barely three days after a three storey building collapsed in Lagos, crushing about 20 persons including school children.
Oyo State Police Command spokesman, Mr Gbenga Fadeyi, said that no death was reported and five people rescued have been taken to hospital for treatment.
He said: “The search and rescue efforts were successful, nobody died in the collapsed building incident, five persons were rescued and they’ve all been taken to hospital.”
The two-storey building had collapsed at Sogoye area along Idi-Arere, Bode area after the Molete bridge in Ibadan, and 23 people were said to have been trapped after six people were rescued alive.
The building, a property under construction for commercial purposes collapsed around 5:30 pm Friday evening, when construction works were still ongoing, an eye witness said.
One of the eye witnesses, David Aderibigbe, who lives close to the building site, said no fewer than 23 workers and two food vendors were trapped in the building.
He also informed that only six of the victims had been rescued from the debris by residents of the area.
His words: “Some of the survivors of the incident who have been rescued told us there are no fewer than 23 workers on site and two traders.
“The survivor said one of the traders was trapped with her baby.”
Aderibigbe said some of the victims had been making telephone calls to seek help.
Another eye witness, 19-year-old Toheeb Gbadamosi, one of the survivors, said, “Today is my first time of working at this place.
“I just came around in order to raise some money for my upkeep because things are difficult. I thank God that I came out of the rubble alive.”
One of those involved in the rescue efforts, Mojeed Agbaje, said two of his relatives, Tunde and Oladepo were trapped in the building.
“I am worried because other people that I know are presently in the wreckage. Tunde sustained injuries on his face and limbs. We have taken him to Molete Hospital and he is recuperating.”
Reacting on the development, the Secretary, Oyo State Emergency Management Agency, Mr Akin Makinde, described the report of the accident was shocking, contending that that the agency had always warned builders to adhere to the building regulations to avoid disasters.
Makinde said that he had contacted an excavator to clear the wreckage to enable the rescue of others still under the rubble.
As of late in the night of Friday and early on Saturday morning, fire servicemen, Red Cross and police personnel deployed to the scene of the collapsed building were on hand to help rescue victims.
The state government also deployed an excavator to help at the scene of the accident, while residents and sympathisers, and traders around joined in the rescue efforts.
Others who were rescued from the wreckage include 42-year-old Olalekan Dauda, Tunde and Rilwan Oladepo.
Dauda said he was working with other artisans on the third floor when the building crumbled, adding that he just heard a sudden blast and later found himself and others in the building trapped in the rubble.
Crowd of sympathisers, comprising traders and residents of the area, besieged the scene, with the road blocked.
The incident led to traffic gridlock in the area, as motorists from Idi Arere and Oja Oba area of the city, as well as those from Molete end could not move freely.
One of the fire fighters, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “We responded promptly to the emergency, as we got to the scene about 35 minutes after the alert. “We are trying our best to rescue the victims, but the challenge we are..
“Another challenge is the time of the day; it will soon get dark, but that will not deter us from doing our best.”
Tribune/The Guardian
