One dies in Lagos building collapse

One person has died while another sustained serious injuries in separate incidents involving a truck accident and a building collapse in different parts of Lagos State.

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olawale Afolabi, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

Afolabi stated that one person died in a partial building collapse at Lekki Phase 1 on Friday, while three people were rescued alive after a truck crashed into a Sports Utility Vehicle along Old Abeokuta Road, inward Abattoir, on Thursday night.

According to him, the truck accident occurred at about 10:40pm on Thursday when an articulated vehicle carrying a 40-foot container reportedly suffered brake failure while descending Old Abeokuta Road.

He noted that the truck subsequently lost control and collided head-on with a Toyota Highlander with registration number KRD 179KL.

He stated that the driver of the SUV sustained severe fractures to both legs and his left arm and was rescued alive from the wreckage.

Afolabi said, “At 22:40 on June 4, 2026, a truck laden with a 40ft container suffered brake failure while descending Old Abeokuta Road inward Abattoir. The vehicle lost control and collided head-on with a peach-coloured Toyota Highlander, registration number KRD 179KL.

“The driver of the Highlander, an adult male, sustained severe fractures to both legs and his left arm and was trapped in the wreckage. Two other occupants escaped uninjured. No fatalities were recorded.”

He noted that emergency responders worked through the night to rescue the trapped victim and clear the accident scene, while recovery operations involving the truck and its container were completed on Friday, restoring normal traffic flow along the corridor.

Afolabi added that, in a separate incident, a three-storey building under construction partially collapsed at No. 1 Josephine Fingesi Street, off Wole Olateju Street, Lekki Phase 1.

He said nine people were affected by the collapse, with one victim recovered dead.

“Seven adult males were rescued alive and stabilised by emergency responders, one adult male was confirmed dead at the scene and his remains recovered, while one adult male remains missing,” he stated.

Reacting to the incidents, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said search-and-rescue operations were ongoing in collaboration with the Lagos State Building Control Agency, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and other emergency agencies.

He added that efforts were being intensified to ensure no victim remained trapped beneath the rubble.

“Our priority remains saving lives. We are working methodically and in partnership with relevant agencies to ensure no victim is left behind while maintaining safety for responders,” the statement quoted him as saying.

PUNCH Online reported on May 3 that the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun Command, confirmed that three persons died while another was injured in an accident involving a Lexus Jeep and a Boxer motorcycle along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The FRSC Sector Commander, Oludare Ogunjobi, confirmed the accident in a statement signed by the command’s spokesperson, Mr Odunsi Afolabi, in Abeokuta. (Punch)