Gerrard Terraces: Death toll rises from 22, 9 rescued

The death toll from the Gerrard Terraces 21-storey building that collapsed in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday has risen from 22 to 36.

No fewer than 33 of the 36 deaths recorded so far are males, according to the Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the South-West Region, Ibrahim Farinloye.

He said out of the nine persons rescued, one is a lady while eight others are men.

“Rescue work is still ongoing and more hands have joined the rescue team,” he said.

The building under construction at Gerrard road in the highbrow area of Lagos collapsed on Monday, leaving the owner and some construction workers under the rubbles.

There is no way of confirm the actual number of those in the building when it collapsed, but certainly they were more than 40.

Early estimates said between 60 and 100 people.