The death toll from the collapse of a 21-story building under construction Monday in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital, rose to 42 dead, and 15 survivors, according to the state governor.
“We have located a total of 42 bodies,” Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Saturday evening.
“There are six other people we were able to identify who were at the site when the building collapsed. That makes a total of 15 people rescued alive,” he added.
The building under construction in the upscale neighborhood of Ikoyi collapsed Monday afternoon under undetermined circumstances, while dozens of workers were on the site.
Building collapses are a frequent tragedy in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, where millions of people live in dilapidated buildings and construction laws are routinely flouted.
The number of people present at the site is not known, but Mr. Sanwo-Olu said that 49 families searching for the missing had so far come forward, and that “DNA tests were underway on some of the bodies difficult to identify “.
The governor promised financial assistance to the families for the organization of the funeral, as well as to the survivors.
Search and rescue efforts were still underway over the weekend, authorities said.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu this week deplored a “terrible national disaster”, believing that “mistakes were made”.
A commission of inquiry made up of independent members has been set up and must shed light on this tragedy, he said.
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