One of them was 26-year-old Zainab Sunny, a microbiologist working with Fourscore Homes, the developer of the building, as part of the country’s Mandatory Youth Services programme.
On Tuesday, rescue workers told his family that he had identified himself by name. His family was among several others who called rescue workers by the names of their loved ones, who said they were communicating with people under the rubble. It was a moment of joy and relief for over a dozen families.
Rescuers recovered Sunny’s body on Wednesday.
“I don’t know why they didn’t arrive on time,” Soni’s brother Fawaz told CNN. “If they had been working continuously, if they had enough equipment, they would have saved my sister.”
The death toll from an under-construction skyscraper collapsed on Thursday rose to 32, according to Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. However, the National Emergency Agency put the death toll at 36. According to official figures, nine people have died. Saved alive
On Wednesday and Thursday, when the rescue workers pulled the bodies out of the destruction, there was a furore among the families of the victims. Heavy construction machinery engulfed the rubble, where many of the victims are yet to be recovered.
In a live Instagram video from the site, Annarita Ivelu said, “All they have done is remove the bodies from this place … they are not taking any precautions.” Ivelu is the sister of 34-year-old Samuel Ivelu, whose body was recovered Thursday night from under a pile of rubble and broken steel.
Before his body was found, Ivelu’s family stayed near the scene overnight, keeping a watch to identify the bodies and look for signs of life.
“They’re literally scooping and pulling things. Pulling rods from left to right and middle,” said Annarita, her voice filled with indignation. “If someone is hiding somewhere… you hide them, you hide things. Will drag on their head. You will kill them.”
One of the victims was confirmed as Oyinye Enkewe, 26, in a statement released to CNN by his family. She started working as a personal assistant at Fourscore just a week ago.
The Enkewe family said, “Her light was shining brilliantly … The saddest part is that she was crushed by the greed, corruption and wickedness of the elite business and government leaders who were running uncontrollably in Nigeria.”
Seeing the rescue effort, the family was seen drowning in despair. Annarita Ivelu also said that she saw rescuers watching tutorials on YouTube – she said, the scene adds insult to injury.
In response, Lagos state’s governor, Sanwo-Olu, told reporters that the “heavily sophisticated” machinery was brought in by another agency and that some advisers were not familiar with it.
A woman threw herself at the feet of the governor. “My son is there! My son is there,” heard their arguments amid the clamor of the diggers, which some relatives compared to the demolition process.
During the governor’s address outside the collapsed building on Thursday, desperate relatives pleaded with him for help in finding their loved ones.
The collapsed building was advertised as a “luxury in the sky” in the upscale neighborhood of Ikoi, with apartments starting at $1.2 million per unit.
Locals criticized the slow response of emergency services after the crash on Monday, with one witness telling CNN, “We’ve waited four or five hours now!”
Another man shouted: “People are dying!”
Many in desperation pulled people out of the rubble with bare hands before emergency services arrived on Monday.
investigation underway
The construction work of the building was going on for two years.
According to a statement from the Lagos state government, the cause of the collapse is being investigated, and officials at the ground level are evaluating possible damage to surrounding structures.
CNN contacted Fourscore Heights Ltd., the parent company of Fourscore Homes, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Building collapse has increased in Nigeria in recent years, often due to a lack of adherence to regulatory controls, poor knowledge of construction and sub-standard building materials.
In 2019, dozens of people were killed when two separate buildings, including a school, collapsed.
An expert told CNN at the time that more than 1,000 buildings in Lagos were at risk of collapse.
.