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By Job Osazuwa and Luman Olabiyi
The dust raised by the collapse of a 21-storey building at Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos on November 1, is yet to settle as the death toll continues to rise.
More victims have been rescued even after being trapped for almost 24 hours under the debris.
As rescue and search efforts at the scene of the ill-fated building entered day two, the number of people rescued alive has increased to nine, while 15 dead bodies have been recovered from the rubble.
With corpses deposited at the mortuary, survivors were rushed to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.
Related: Lagos building collapse: FG mobilises rescue operation for victims
Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, who was at the scene at about 12 noon Tuesday, updating reporters on the rescue operation, confirmed that two of the survivors have been discharged from the hospital.
Hamzat said that the state government was hopeful that more people would be found alive, urging onlookers around the incident site to allow responders to do their work effectively and unhindered.
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The deputy governor dispelled the rumour that the initial approval for the building was for 15-storeys, confirming that what the government approved was for twenty-one storeys.
According to him, the construction site had been sealed from July till November, to allow for structural adjustments by the developer, stating that there are always procedures to be followed in demolishing a property for non-compliance.
Related: 6 dead, many trapped in 21-storey building collapse in Lagos
The deputy governor also visited the Lagos Island General Hospital to check on survivors.
The building construction has been ongoing for the past two years, with tens of people working on the site day and night.
It has been learnt that some individuals had been using the ground floor of the building to hold a meeting at the time it collapsed; an unknown number of them trapped in the rubble.
With the handlers of the project, as well as the regulatory agencies, being accused of not adhering to standard quality controls, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered a probe into the incident.
