At least 10 people have died and dozens of others remain unaccounted for following the collapse of a high-rise building that was under construction in Nigeria’s commercial hub of Lagos, per BBC World News. 

In a Facebook statement, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency confirmed that a search and rescue had began following the collapse of the 22-story building, which is located in the city’s affluent Ikoyi neighborhood.

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Eyewitness Muhammad Tukur reacted to the collapse via Twitter, comparing it to the 9/11 attacks on New York’s Twin Towers. 

“Literally saw my life before me. A 12-storey building in Ikoyi collapsed before my eyes. A reminiscent of the 9/11,” he recalled. “I don’t think I’d be alive to tweet this if it were the one closer to our window. Our office was vibrating as the building was collapsing. Alhamdulillah!” 

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The cause of the partially built block of luxury apartments collapsing is unknown at this time, but Lagos emergency management agency manager Femi Oke-Osanyintolu highlighted construction infractions and said, “We are going to get to the roots of the matter to prevent a recurrence,” per CBS News.

Building collapses are widespread in Nigeria, per BBC, particularly in Lagos and across Africa’s most populous country, with 152 buildings collapsing between 2005 and 2020 in a trend linked to defective materials, incompetence and a lack of enforcement of construction regulations.

This is a developing story and it will be updated as additional information is confirmed.

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