Collapsed 21-storey building: We were working on cracked pillar when building caved in, says survivor

A  labourer who narrowly cheated death in the collapsed 21-storey building in Ikoyi, Lagos State, has disclosed that labourers at the site were working on a cracked pillar on the first floor of the skyscraper when it crumbled.

Penpushing reports that, the lucky survivor, explained that he was working alongside with other colleagues when the sad incident occurred, adding that within few seconds on the repair of the cracked pillar, there was a strange and alarming noise within the building

“I was working with my colleague. I have been told not to tell anybody. That day, we were working on the first floor, Engineer Kola and Engineer Ola told us there is one pillar on the first floor, the pillar was cracked’.

‘The engineers told us to break the pillar so that they could fix another pillar there because the pillar is really big they have confidence that nothing would happen to the pillar if they set another one,” he recalled.

“Suddenly we heard a noise, the thing (pillar) started to shake, I and Monday (another labourer) ran when we saw that the pillar was starting to shake. When I was running, I fell down I was struggling to come out.”

Penpushing also reports that, the victim who was still recuperating in the hospital, as at the time of this report  said he managed to move out of the building, adding that  a gateman helped him onto a motorcycle that took him to the hospital.

“When I ran outside, the gateman saw me; he now called a bike man. I ran out before the rescue operatives came in. The owner of the house (Femi Osibona) knows  about the pillar, that it was cracked. He told the two engineers to ask us to break it. He was aware, he saw us, he even gave us money for food (breakfast). He saw us there when we were working on it.”

The victim recalled that, Osibona who was the owner of the property was attending a meeting when the calamity occurred, recalling that two members of the National Youth Service Coprts(NYSC) were also trapped in the collapsed building .

FOOTNOTE: You want to share story with us? You want to advertise with us? You need publicity for product, or service, or   event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348073463653 or email [email protected]