Toll in Nigeria building collapse hits 57

Lagos, Sep 16: The toll from a building collapse in Nigeria's southwest state of Lagos has risen to 57, from Monday's 49, Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency confirmed on Tuesday.

Agency spokesperson Ibrahim Farinloye told Xinhua that eight more bodies were recovered overnight at the site of the collapsed building in the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos.

He said a woman walked out of the rubble at about 2 a.m. Tuesday, making the number of people rescued alive 131.

The popular Lagos-based Synagogue Church Guest House building, at Ikotun downtown area of Lagos, collapsed Friday.

Pastor in charge of the church Temitope Joshua attributed the cause of the collapse to a mysterious helicopter flying repeatedly over the building.

The pastor showed a three-minute video clip to journalists in Lagos Saturday claiming the helicopter might have been responsible for the collapse of the six-storey guest house.

Many worshipers injured were rushed to Isolo and Alimosho General Hospital, while corpses were deposited at the mortuary.

There is a possibility that some people could still be trapped in the collapsed building, as rescue efforts are still on.

Building collapses are not rare in Nigeria, often because of poor construction practices. More than 50 people were killed in building collapses across Nigeria last year.

IANS