Death toll now 43
With an additional body found on Saturday evening, after the announcement of the official figure of 42, the death toll at the collapse of the 21-story building at Gerrard Road, Ikoyi is now 43.
The additional figure was announced by Channels Television in its news broadcast at 10pm on Saturday.
According to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the number of people rescued from the collapsed 21-storey building in Ikoyi has increased to 15.
Sanwo-Olu, while giving an update on the search and rescue operation at the scene, said additional six people were evacuated alive from the collapsed structure and are currently being treated at the Police Hospital in Falomo, Ikoyi.
The Governor went back to the site Saturday in company of the National Leader of the Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule.
Sanwo-Olu also disclosed that 42 bodies had been recovered from the site as at 6pm on Saturday, giving clearer manifest of the number of people that were possibly at the construction site before the building caved in on Monday.
He said: “There are additional six people that we’ve also been able to identify and who were on site when the building collapsed. They were taken to the Police Hospital in Falomo for treatment and some of them have been discharged. We have taken the full records of survivors in the incident. And this gives a total of 15 people rescued alive. We have a total of 42 bodies that have been recovered.”
Among the latest survivors are a 38-year-old woman, Glory Samson. Others are Ndajor Ahmed, Yunusa Abubaka, Ajiboye Habib, Jeremiah Samson, and one man identified as Emem.
While most of them sustained varying degrees of injury, Samson, 20, is said to be in a coma.
Sanwo-Olu said 49 families had filled the missing persons’ register as at Saturday morning. He said the register had helped the State Government to reconcile the details of victims rescued alive and also medically account for bodies recovered.
The Governor said identification of bodies by relatives had commenced, adding that DNA examination was being undertaken on some of the bodies difficult to be identified by their families.
“There is a sum of money that has been reserved by the State Government for succour and to give for befitting burial for those who died in the incident. Families that so wish to accept it are being supported for the burial arrangement. Also, survivors in hospitals have been given the financial support to help them settle and cope with challenges of feeding in the aftermath of the incident.
Meanwhile, the search and rescue operation continued at the site, but the heap has receded sharply.
