"Oh my God, I have lost all I have laboured for in my life. My wife, two kids, all my property is gone. I came to Lagos empty and I am going back to my village empty. Oh, I am finished."
These were the agonising words of a middle-aged man, simply called Baba Junior, who lost his wife and two children in Tuesday's collapsed building in Idi-Araba, Lagos.
His five-year-old boy, however, escaped death as he was lucky to have stayed back in school that fateful day for extra-mural lesson.
But it was a case of different strokes for different folks.
A young lady, Glory Christ-opher from Akwa Ibom State, is among those who survived the incident.
Though her face was swollen and legs bandaged, her joy that she would live to count her losses was palpable.
By last night, the death toll from the collapsed building had risen to 11.
At least nine persons were also said to have survived.
"I came outside to sleep because of the heat. After a while, the next thing I heard was gbi, gboa. That is all I can remember. I did not know how I was rescued. I survived and I thank God for it," Christopher told THISDAY.
The four-storey building located at No. 38, Ojerinde Street, behind the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), had collapsed around 2pm last Tuesday.
All the occupants of the building were initially trapped.
It has also emerged that the collapsed building was converted from a one-storey structure to four storeys, although THISDAY could not confirm if it was done with official approval.
The owner of the building, one Mrs. Olufemi, who was also trapped, was later brought out and is currently receiving treatment at the female emergency ward of LUTH for the injuries she sustained.
When THISDAY visited yesterday, the landlady's ward was well secured by policemen from Area 'D', Mushin, while medical officials treating her barred anyone from moving close to the ward.
Police authorities confirmed 11 persons dead and nine others hospitalised following the injuries they sustained from the incident.
Unconfirmed estimates, however, said death toll could be as high as 20 since some of those trapped were residents of the house.
Though rescue work was still on as at press time, the police were hopeful that it might wind up by last night.
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Frank Mba, told THISDAY that the number of people confirmed dead was 11 while nine others are still receiving medical attention at various hospitals in Lagos.
Mba, a Superintendent of Police (SP), said nobody could give the actual number of persons that were trapped by the time the building collapsed and as such could not say the number of those still trapped under the debris.
At the scene, a combined team of the Police, Red Cross officials, officials of the Lagos State Emergency Ambulance Service (LASEMBUS), and members of the Idi-Araba community were battling to evacuate those trapped.
But the rowdy situation was dragging them behind.
Policemen from the Command Headquarters, Ikeja, who were dispatched to the scene, were still battling to keep street urchins away from the place when THISDAY visited.
Some of the policemen said about four persons were still trapped under the collapsed structure.
It was revealed that as at the wee hours of yesterday morning some of the trapped persons were heard maintaining contact with members of their families.
When contacted over the telephone, the state Commissioner for Physical Planning, Abolaji Abosede, declined to give the actual number of people who lost their lives in the incident.
He said: "Immediately I heard of the incident, I personally went there and assisted in removing the injured from LUTH to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), and other government hospitals. I cannot give you the actual figure of causalities and those injured."
Asked if approval was given for the building or if the owner had been invited for questioning, Abosede said it was too early for that, explaining that at the appropriate time, the ministry's findings would be made known to the public.
"It is too early to ask all these questions. We are working towards unravelling the misery behind the collapse of the building. We are not arresting anyone yet, what we are doing is to provide information to the Police and they in turn, would make arrest if there is any need, after their investigations. We are on top of it all," he said.

Such a sad story
If the house was truly renovated
The architect should be investigated for any wrong doing

this is realy touching. may God grant him the courage to bear this irrepairable loss.
@poster,
this is a political forum and nothing is political about this post.