• 80 now dead
Going by the conflicting figures on the death toll in the Synagogue Guest House collapse, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday said
it has not concluded the search for victims of the tragedy, even as the death toll hit 80 by yesterday.
South African President Jacob Zuma had claimed that his country lost 67 citizens in the building collapse which differed from that of NEMA which had been on the scene since the day of the incident last Friday.
According to NEMA, death toll as at Tuesday evening was 63 deaths and 131 people rescued with “more likely to be recovered.”
Although, it is unclear how President Zuma arrived at the death toll, Ibrahim Farinloye, NEMA’s South-West spokesperson, declined to react to the South African leader’s casualty figure, saying, “when we finish, everybody will know the total and who belongs where.”
According to NEMA as at press time, ”three others were later discovered early Wednesday morning. The death toll is now 80, including three non-Africans.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government yesterday affirmed that it has no plans to seal off the Synagogue Church of All Nations over the tragedy.
Although the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olutoyin Ayinde, stated the position of the ministry, that the six-floor Guest House did not have building approval, he said the state government will not seal off the church.
Ayinde emphasized that no plans were in the offing to take over the collapsed structure site until thorough and detailed investigation as to the cause(s) of the tragedy had been concluded.
He said,” government does not arbitrarily take over properties when investigation is still on-going, noting that government is conducting a preliminary investigation into the cause(s) of the collapse and would leave no stone unturned and if there is any violation of relevant planning law, residents are assured that government would take appropriate action.”
Ayinde said a team of engineers from the ministry and other state government agencies are taking samples from the foundation and materials from the wreckage of the building for detailed analysis and testing to ascertain the structural integrity of the building.
“On the veracity of the “Strange Plane Theory”, alleged to have dangerously flown low over the building 50 minutes before the collapse, the ministry had submitted the video clips, as provided by the church to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for investigation and professional comment,” he added.
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