Lagos building collapse kills five

Incident occured same day as fire destroys Great Nigeria House

The death toll from the collapse of a five-storey building in Lagos rose to five after dozens of people were trapped under rubble on 4 November.

Rescuers completed their operation by the evening of 5 November and managed to retrieve 25 survivors. The shopping mall was under construction on Victoria Island, an affluent district that serves as the main financial centre of Lagos.

Earlier the same day Great Nigeria House, one the tallest buildings in Nigeria, was gutted by fire. The landmark building is located on Lagos Island and was constructed in the 1970s.

The fire began at around 06.30, before the building's employees began work, and no casualties were reported. An investigation is being carried out into the circumstances of the blaze but an electrical fault is thought may have started the fire which has gutted the lower floors of the building.

Both events come as Lagos steps up its demolition of unsafe structures around the city, and follows a crackdown on illegal practices within the construction sector.