Race to find survivors in Nigeria building collapse

Rescuers are searching for survivors in the wreckage of a 22-storey block that collapsed under construction in Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos.

At least 10 people have died and dozens are missing.

Rescue workers at the site say they have heard more voices from under the rubble. Nine people have been pulled out alive so far.

The partially built block of luxury apartments came down on Monday but what caused the collapse remains unclear.

Overnight, despite the heavy rain, people used floodlights to continue the search digging through debris and twisted metal.

Many relatives are now anxiously waiting near the site to hear whether their loved ones have survived.

“Our sister is inside,” Fawas Sanni told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

His sister, Zainab, was working at the construction site as part of the National Youth Service Corps.

“I was the last one who  spoke to her before she went to work yesterday morning,” Mr Sanni is quoted as saying.

Hundreds of onlookers stand by in the crushing heat, waiting for news of survivors.

Gerrard Road, one of the area’s main thoroughfares, has been blocked off to traffic.

Rows of women sit in the middle of the road, praying in Yoruba for survivors to be found.

The area directly around the site has been cordoned off to give rescue workers the space to get to those still missing.

The local authorities have ordered an investigation into the collapse and pledged to make the final report public.

But there’s simmering anger in the crowd, frustrated at the slow pace of the rescue.

Femi Adesina, a special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, said the president “commiserates with families who have lost loved ones”.

The building came down at around 14:45 local time (13:45 GMT) in the upmarket district of Ikoyi.

It was part of a complex named 360 Degrees Towers, which was intended to house luxury apartments, town houses and penthouses, according to the development’s website, which has since been taken offline.

The housing scheme is being developed by Fourscore Homes Limited, which has a portfolio of projects in the UK, US, South Africa, and other areas of Nigeria.

Construction worker Ade John told BBC Igbo that he was on the ground floor when the building started caving in. –AFP/BBC