Building collapse in Nigerian city leaves schoolchildren trapped

Lagos State Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode, who visited the scene, said there were deaths, although he did not give an official figure.Many students and residents are feared trapped in the building, which collapsed in the Itafaji area of Lagos Island, Nigerian Red Cross official Raheem Jamiu told CNN.Six children were pulled out of the rubble by rescue workers at the scene, Nigerian Red Cross official Raheem Jamiu told CNN.The rescued students are now receiving medical attention.CNN witnessed two more young children being pulled out of the rubble. One of the children was alive, while the other appeared to be unconscious.Rescue efforts are ongoing at the mixed-use building.The school was operating “illegally” in the building, which is meant for residential purposes, said Ambode, adding that many houses in the area had structural problems and were going to be demolished.”So far, we have rescued about 25 people and some already dead… the building is not technically a school, it is a residential building that was actually accommodating an illegal school, so to speak, on the second floor,” he said.Ambode said buildings with structural problems would henceforth be demolished.Anxious parents waiting for their children to be rescued in the building told CNN, many buildings in the commercial hub in downtown Lagos are not safe.”A lot the buildings here are not safe even from looking at the building, you should know no school should be here,” Wale Wasiu told CNN.Building collapses are frequent in Nigeria.At least 100 worshippers were killed in a church in the southern state of Akwa Ibom after the roof caved in during a Sunday service in 2016.In 2014, more than 70 people died after a two story guest house in a church collapsed in Lagos.