2019 Lagos school collapse

On 13 March 2019, a three story building in the Ita Faaji area of Lagos, Nigeria suffered a structural collapse, killing 20 people and leaving over 40 trapped.[1] A school, housing 100 students, was located on the third story of the building, leading to the story gaining significant coverage in local and international media.[1][2][3][4]

Background

According to Akinwunmi Ambode, the governor of Lagos State, the primary school and nursery had been operating illegally in a residential building. Ambode stated that many buildings in the area were certified "distressed" and had been marked for demolition, but that landlords resisted the efforts of the government to demolish the buildings, opting to refurbish them for further use.[5] A resident of the area stated that the building in question had been marked for demolition twice before the collapse.[6]

Collapse

The collapse occurred in the Lagos Island district in Lagos, Nigeria at mid-morning on 13 March 2019. The collapsed building—which was slated to be demolished[5]—was in poor condition, but was illegally being used to house commercial businesses, residential apartments, a primary school, and a nursery.[7] The collapse of the structure killed several people and left over 60 people trapped in the rubble; many of those trapped were children from the third floor primary school. Over the next few days, rescue efforts succeed in recovering 45 people from the building,[8] while another 20 were reported as having died in the collapse.[9] According to neighborhood residents, the building was known to be in bad shape,[10] and Ambode confirmed that the bottom two floors of the building had settled. Residents reported that only the absence of many students (who were participating in an out-of-school sporting event) prevented the death toll from being higher.[9]

Effects

Following the collapse of the building, the State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) conducted integrity testing on buildings in the area and found that 150 buildings were in certified structural distress. The LASBCA procured court approval to demolish 80 of these buildings,[11] and began demolition efforts two days following the collapse, giving little warning to residents.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Children killed in Lagos school collapse". 13 March 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  2. Searcey, Dionne (13 March 2019). "Dozens of Children Trapped in Building Collapse in Lagos, Nigeria". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  3. Olukoya, Sam (13 March 2019). "School building collapses in Nigeria with scores said inside". AP NEWS. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  4. "African Daily Voice (ADV)". African Daily Voice (ADV). Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  5. Iyare, Tony; Searcey, Dionne (13 March 2019). "A Race to Save Children After Nigeria Building Collapse, but 8 People Are Dead". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  6. Sunday, Odita; Nwannekanma, Bertram. "Ita-Faaji: Mixed reactions from residents as Lagos begins demolition of distressed buildings". guardian.ng. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  7. France-Presse, Agence (14 March 2019). "Lagos school building collapse: search for survivors ends". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  8. "Nigeria school building collapse killed 20 - Lagos health official".
  9. AfricaNews (15 March 2019). "Nigeria building collapse: official toll shows 20 dead, 45 survivors". Africanews. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  10. Akinwotu, Emmanuel; Searcey, Dionne (14 March 2019). "Fury Grows in Nigeria Over School Collapse That Killed at Least 8". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  11. "Collapsed building: 80 distressed buildings to be demolished on Lagos Island". P.M. News. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  12. Akinwotu, Emmanuel; Searcey, Dionne (15 March 2019). "Buildings Razed With Little Warning After Nigeria School Collapse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 March 2019.


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