Lagos Building Collapse: Survivors Recount Night of Horror

What began as a quiet night in Oyingbo turned into chaos when a two-storey building on Cole Street suddenly caved in around midnight, trapping several residents beneath the rubble.

Screams for help filled the air as neighbors rushed to dig through debris before rescue teams arrived.

“I was sleeping when I heard a loud crack. The next thing I knew, everything went dark,” said Tunde Ojo, a survivor pulled from the wreckage.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the incident occurred around 12:20 a.m., with officers from the Sari-Iganmu Fire Station leading rescue efforts. Fifteen people, including men, women, and children were rescued alive and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Agency Director Margaret Adeseye said the collapsed structure had earlier shown visible signs of distress and was already marked for evacuation, raising questions about why residents were still inside.

“This tragedy could have been avoided,” lamented Mrs. Funke Adewale, a local trader who lost her neighbor. “We complained about cracks for months.”

The incident adds to the growing list of building collapses in Lagos, a city grappling with weak enforcement of safety standards and substandard construction practices.

Experts say the state’s recurring collapses like the Ikoyi high-rise disaster of 2021 and the Yaba collapse in September 2025, reflect a deeper crisis in urban regulation.

Rescue operations continued through the night, as emergency officials vowed to ensure accountability and prevent future tragedies.