The death toll from the collapse of a three-storey building at Alakija, Old Ojo Road, near Alakija Bus Stop, off the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Satellite Town, has risen to nine.

The building, located within the Ori-Ade Local Council Development Area (LCDA), caved in at about 11 a.m. on Thursday, triggering a massive emergency response.

Rescue teams from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS) were immediately deployed to the scene to search for survivors and recover victims trapped beneath the rubble.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters from the Ijegun-Egba Fire Station arrived at the scene at about 11:49 a.m. and joined other emergency personnel in the rescue operation.

The collapsed structure was a three-storey residential building occupied by several tenants at the time of the incident. It also accommodated several commercial establishments, including cyber cafés, a photo studio, mobile phone repair shops, telecommunications outlets, a bookshop and office spaces.

Residents said the building was one of the oldest in the neighbourhood, having stood for more than 30 years.

Emotional scenes played out at the site as grieving relatives mourned the victims, while displaced occupants struggled to salvage personal belongings from the debris under the supervision of emergency officials.

Rescue and recovery operations continued late into the day, with emergency responders combing through the rubble to ensure that all victims were accounted for and to secure the area against further risks.

Authorities are yet to determine the exact cause of the collapse, while investigations are expected to commence after the completion of rescue operations.