*As Tinubu, Gov Sule visit site, sympathise with victims’ families
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has disclosed that 42 bodies have been recovered from the collapsed 21-storey building in Ikoyi as at Saturday, saying that 15 survivors have been rescued from the rubbles.
Sanwo-Olu stated this on Saturday while giving an update on the search and rescue operation at the scene.
He added that the additional people evacuated alive from the collapsed structure are currently being treated at the Police Hospital in Falomo, Ikoyi.
The Governor also came to the site on Saturday in company of the National Leader of the Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule.
He said: “There are additional six people that we’ve also been able to identify and who were on site when the building collapsed. They were taken to the Police Hospital in Falomo for treatment and some of them have been discharged.
“We have taken the full records of survivors in the incident. And this gives a total of 15 people rescued alive. We have a total of 42 bodies that have been recovered.”
Among the latest survivors are a 38-year-old woman, Glory Samsom. Others are Ndajor Ahmed, Yunusa Abubaka, Ajiboye Habib, Jeremiah Samson, and one man identified as Emem.
While most of them sustained varying degrees of injury, Samson, 20, is said to be in a coma.
Sanwo-Olu said 49 families had filled the missing persons’ register as at Saturday morning, saying that the register had helped the State Government to reconcile the details of victims rescued alive and also medically account for bodies recovered.
The Governor said identification of bodies by relatives had commenced, adding that DNA examination was being undertaken on some of the bodies difficult to be identified by their families.
Sanwo-Olu said, “There is a sum of money that has been reserved by the State Government for succour and to give for befitting burial for those who died in the incident.
“Families that so wish to accept it are being supported for the burial arrangement. Also, survivors in hospitals have been given the financial support to help them settle and cope with challenges of feeding in the aftermath of the incident.”
Meanwhile, the search and rescue operation have continued at the site but the heap had receded sharply.
