• My survival is an act of God, survivor says
Rescuers on Sunday recovered two more bodies from the collapsed building, as the total number of persons trapped in the structure remains unknown.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, had on Saturday confirmed the recovery of 42 bodies buried under the rubble of the 21-storey building, but emergency workers confirmed that two more bodies were pulled out and transported to the mortuary.
Sanwo-Olu also confirmed that additional six persons were identified as those who survived, bringing the total number of survivors to 15.
Also, there are indications that more bodies are yet to be pulled out of the building as some family members, who visited the morgue could not identify bodies of their loved ones, who were trapped in the building.
Father of Emmanuel Abel, a 16-year-year-old apprentice, Abel Godwin, said yesterday that the fate of his son, who left Abuja for Lagos with his master, Mr. Gbenga, is not yet known.
He told The Guardian that he has visited hospitals and designated morgues, but could still not find his son. While search and rescue operations continue in the collapsed 21-storey building yesterday in Ikoyi, one of the survivors, William Nwachukwu, has attributed his survival to an act of God.
The 19-year-old Imo State indigene, who was among the 14 survivors recovered along side 44 dead bodies from the rubble of the collapsed structure, could not explain how he managed to escape.
Narrating his near death experience, Nwachukwu said he was lying on the fourth floor when the incident happened and the vibration woke him up.
The boy, who worked and slept in the collapsed building, said: “I’m grateful that I am alive, but I mourn those who lost their lives.”
Nwachukwu, whose belongings were trapped in the rubble, told The Guardian that he has only one shirt on him since the incident. He said: “I came to Lagos after my secondary school education and I moved to Obalende in search of a job because I had no money to further my education. My parents are still alive but they don’t have money.
“Since I got to Lagos in January this year, I’ve been living in Obalende, but a few weeks ago, someone called my friend and I to follow him, that he would help me with a job, and on hearing that, I was excited and I followed him.
“I was lying on the fourth floor when the incident happened and the vibration woke me up. I don’t know how I was able to jump out of the building.”
On the number of persons working with the contractor that employed him, he said: “The company I was working with on the collapsed building had about 50 workers. There are iron benders, bricklayers and several other artisans working there.
On the report that he jumped from the 10th floor, Nwachukwu, said: “I never jumped from the 10th floor, it was the 4th floor and I’ve been working for more than two weeks before the incident.
“I work, bathe, eat and sleep in the building. I’ve been hanging around since the day of the incident because I don’t have anywhere to stay and I only rely on people around to get something to eat and I’ve been wearing the same clothes, since the day of the incident because my load was also in the trapped building.
“The officials of the Lagos State government have asked me about my health and how I am feeling and they asked me to thank God.
“I don’t have a place to stay and I need a place to lay my head and where to work.
“I’ve called my people and they promised to come for me,” he added.
On how much he got working in the now collapsed building, he said: “I get paid N3, 500 daily and I worked three times a week. I’m grateful that I am alive, but I mourn those who lost their lives.”
Source: Guardian.ng
