Synagogue Building Collapse: Woman walks out of rubble after being trapped for three days

A woman of about 45 years old walked out of the rubble unaided around 2 a.m. on Tuesday as rescue efforts continued at the site of the collapsed building at The Synagogue Church of All Nations, in Lagos.

Ibrahim Farinloye, South-West Spokesperson of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, said that the woman, who had been trapped under the rubble since the accident on Friday, was “hale and hearty.”

“She was traumatized, so we didn’t want her to talk. But she sustained little injuries on her ankle and wrist,” Mr. Farinloye told PREMIUM TIMES over the phone.

Meanwhile, eight more bodies were recovered over night, bringing the death toll yet to 57 dead and 131 rescued.



On Monday, three police sniffer dogs were deployed to the accident scene to assist in the search and rescue of trapped bodies.

Mr. Farinloye said that the dogs have been helpful and rescue efforts could be over “latest by Tuesday night.”

The collapsed building inside the church’s premises was a five-storey building which initially was two-storey and the church decided to add three additional floors on it.

But there is no evidence yet that the church secured regulatory approval before it embarked on increasing the floors of the collapsed building.

Olutoyin Ayinde, the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, told reporters at the scene on Sunday that although investigation was still ongoing, there was no proof that the church obtained a permit to add additional structures to the existing ones.

“We have no proof that there is a permit,” he said.

“We’ve asked the engineering team to meet us and for about two hours now no member of the engineering team has come because we also have questions to ask.”