How area boys saved our lives, by survivors of collapsed building

Can anything good ever come out of Nazareth? This biblical question was answered in Lagos early in the week. Street urchins, otherwise known as area boys, came in handy during rescue operations at the scene of a building that collapsed in Central Lagos on Monday.

Survivors of the ill-fated four-storey building on Alli Street, by Tinubu Square, Lagos Island are attributing their lucky escape to the courage displayed by the area boys.

Among the 23 who survived with various degrees of injuries are traders, children and elderly men and women. They asserted that they would have died but for the timely intervention of the social miscreants who literally became emergency rescue operators. The street urchins used their hands, shovels as well as iron cutters to rescue the trapped victims.

Though no lives were lost in the incident which happened at about 5:20 pm, three people were killed in another building which collapsed in Mile 12 area of Kosofe Local Government. 10 were rescued from the debris.
Daily Sun learnt that the building had been marked for demolition after part of it was demolished to pave way for a major road construction project. One person reportedly died on the spot while two others were said to have died at an undisclosed hospital where they were rushed to for medical treatment.

Story BY TESSY IGOMU
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