Building collapse claims seven

Officials said the collapse was caused by structural defects, a common problem in Lagos. “Seven dead and seven rescued,” said Ibrahim Farinloye, spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency.

Around 20 people lived in the building. All have been accounted for by the police. The collapse occurred in the dense Ebute-Meta neighbourhood of the city of some 15 million people.

Such tragedies occur regularly in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, with building codes often not enforced and structures sometimes built haphazardly. – AFP.