A race to save children
At least 8 people were dead after a building housing a school collapsed in Nigeria
LAGOS, Nigeria — Sunday Adeyemo left his home on crowded Lagos Island early Wednesday as he always does, only to receive devastating news just hours later: The three-story building that housed not just his family’s apartment but a primary and nursery school had collapsed.
His 7-year-old daughter was inside. She did not survive. At least eight people have died, Nigerian officials said by late Wednesday evening.
‘‘I’m totally devastated,’’ said Adeyemo, who was on the way to the hospital to collect the body of his daughter, Taiwo, a second-grader.
Scenes of horror and grief surrounded the building that had housed the Ohel Nursery and Primary School, as terrified parents and hundreds of onlookers hoped for the best. At least 70 people were inside the building at 10 a.m. when it fell, and possibly many more, neighbors said.
Rescue efforts continued into the night. Workers had pulled at least 37 people alive from the site, government officials said, tossing aside backpacks and classroom equipment to dig through the rubble. Many of those rescued were dusty and dazed toddlers who were slung over the shoulders of workers and carried to waiting ambulances. Some were limp.
Fashanu Kudus, who lives in a house overlooking the rescue site, said he had watched the building collapse. ‘‘We just heard ‘wham’ and the three-story building was reduced to rubble,’’ he said.
It’s a scene that has been repeated through the years in Lagos, Africa’s most populous city with an estimated 23.4 million people. Construction here is regulated poorly, if at all, residents have long complained.
‘‘The developers just do whatever they like,’’ said Ruka Salami, who lives near the collapsed building.
Akinwunmi Ambode, the governor of Lagos state, said the school had been operating illegally in a residential building, according to a statement. In fact, he added, most of the buildings in the area had been marked for demolition. He called for a ‘‘full-scale investigation’’ into the cause of the collapse.
But some residents at the scene blamed government negligence, saying the school building was recently refurbished. Residents had complained of high rent, and some said they noticed signs of strain on the structure.
On Wednesday morning, it took rescue crews a full hour to arrive at the scene, according to residents, who said they immediately started digging through the debris.
‘‘We started the rescue efforts and had rescued over 20 children alive before the emergency agencies came,’’ Adegoke Sharafa said.
The construction company Julius Berger sent equipment to help the effort. At one point, one rescuer said he saw 20 children inside and feared the debris would collapse on them before they could be saved. Some workers demanded oxygen masks from an ambulance, but none were available. Onlookers became increasingly angry that rescuers were ill-equipped.
A sea of spectators at the scene cheered and patted the backs of rescuers when they found victims, but the crowd created chaos for work crews and security officials.
Dozens of traumatized parents gathered in the compound outside the General Hospital in Lagos Island, close to the collapsed school. Some wept and crumpled to the ground, while others called out for help when the hospital staff had no information.
One father clung to a lamppost while relatives tried to console him. His 8-year-old son had died, they said.
‘‘My child! My child!’’ he shouted over and over. ‘‘What will I do?’’