Building Collapse in Osun Claims Three Lives, Injures Four

Three people have died, and four others are hurt after a two-storey shopping complex collapsed in Owode-Ede, Osun State.

The collapse happened late on Friday. Workers were inside the building as they planned to continue work the next day.

Femi Isaac, the Osun State Commandant of the Federal Fire Service, confirmed the deaths in a phone chat with PUNCH Online on Saturday.

Isaac said they got an emergency call from the Divisional Police Officer of A Division around 11 pm on Friday. They quickly sent personnel to the scene.

He explained that the victims were tiling apprentices working on the shopping complex. Their supervisor was not with them when the building fell.

“Three people died and their bodies have been taken to the mortuary, while five were rescued alive and taken to a private hospital in Ede. Four sustained serious injuries. Some of them fractured their legs and hands. Only one person who did not sleep early escaped unhurt,” he said.

Isaac also mentioned that the workers had noticed the building was weak before it collapsed.

He said the most senior apprentice told rescuers he had warned the others against sleeping on the upper floor just before the structure fell.

In the rescue operation, police and members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were also involved.

Two local residents talked to our correspondent on Saturday. They said a loud noise from the building just before 11 pm caught the attention of people nearby.

One resident, named John, said three bodies were pulled from the rubble, while the injured were taken to the hospital.

“I live in the neighbourhood where the collapsed building is located. It’s a two-storey building. Three dead bodies were recovered from the rubble. Some other people were also injured. From what we heard, those killed and the others injured slept in the building,” he said.

John added that the Federal Fire Service and police arrived shortly after the collapse and continued search and rescue operations until the early hours of Saturday.

He also noted that the owner of the building lived nearby and was present during the rescue efforts.