Four siblings have been confirmed dead after a building collapsed in the Magodo area of Lagos on Saturday.
The victims were reportedly sleeping when the three-bedroom bungalow collapsed around 4.50 in the morning.
Their policeman father, Godwin Odia, attached to the Mobile Police Force, was said to have woken up around 3am to take his bath and was in the sitting room when a mudslide hit the children’s room.
The victims have been identified as Isayo Odia, 23; Clinton Odia, 13; Da-silver Odia 15 and Endurance Odia, 10.
A woman identified as Odia’s wife was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
An official of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Michael Kehinde said a mudslide washed down by heavy rain led to the collapse of the apartment located at No. 50 Otun Araromi Street, Orisa, Magodo, behind Magodo Phase 1.
He said the collapse buried four children who were later brought out of the ruins dead, while the father of the children, Godwin Odia, 50, from Edo State escaped death as he was out of the house few minutes before the tragedy struck.
General Manager of LASEMA, Michael Akindele confirmed “All the children are of Godwin Odia, 50 year old man from Edo State.
“The four dead bodies were recovered after digging through the sand. Another slide occurred six houses away from the incident site about 10.05am on another bungalow, but the occupant ran out immediately for safety.”
The National Emergency Management Agency also confirmed the incident through its spokesman for the southwest, Ibrahim Farinloye, who said the mudslide came from the cleavage of a hill beside River Ogun.
“Four persons were recovered dead. The cause of the collapse was the heavy rainfall. Mudslides from the cleavage of a hill beside River Ogun hit the three-bedroom flat, unfortunately the room where the deceased were recovered was the one hit by the mudslides.
“Another mudslide fell on one single room building in the area but no one was trapped there,” Farinloye said.
Following the collapse, officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) have marked about 10 houses in the area for demolition in order to avert another disaster.
