The death toll from the fire outbreak at the Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) House in the Marina area of Lagos Island has risen to three, following the recovery of another body on Saturday.
Two bodies were earlier recovered on Friday, while the third was retrieved from the rubble on Saturday.
Confirming the development, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said rescue teams were still combing the debris for possible additional victims.
Recall that the fire started on the fourth floor of the 25-storey building on Thursday and spread to the sixth floor before engulfing other sections of the structure and adjoining buildings.
During the inferno, a detached section of the building collapsed, trapping several traders, while the fire also spread to nearby structures, including the Old Lagos Central Mosque.
Providing an update on the fourth day of rescue operations, Oke-Osanyintolu disclosed that three bodies had so far been recovered by LASEMA’s response teams.
He said one adult female was extricated dead from the collapsed structure and handed over to her husband. Another victim was a decapitated adult male with severed limbs, while the third was an adult male whose body was recovered intact.
Oke-Osanyintolu also revealed that eight injured males, including a firefighter, were rescued and taken to hospital for treatment.
In addition, five other victims—three males and two females—who sustained minor injuries were treated with first aid at the scene and subsequently discharged.
He added that search and rescue operations involving LASEMA, the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), the Red Cross, and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service were ongoing to locate other persons reportedly trapped in the building.
Rescue efforts were still in progress as of press time.
