Residents of Ebute Meta, Lagos, yesterday relived their narrow escape after a two-storey building collapsed late Monday night at No. 49 Coates Street, off Oyingbo Road.

The incident, which occurred around midnight during a heavy downpour, sent panic across the neighbourhood as parts of the structure caved in, trapping several occupants beneath the rubble.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of confusion as people scrambled to rescue those caught in the collapse. A resident, Habeeb Jamiu, said he initially thought the noise came from a distant location until he realised it was the building near his streetlight.

“I heard that somewhere nearby had collapsed, but I thought it was a small place. Then I realised it was the building near the streetlight where I live with my people. Suddenly, all the windows came down, and we started pulling people out,” he recounted.

Jamiu said the first person rescued was an elderly man who lived nearby. “He was lucky. After he came out, someone said he couldn’t find his car key. Before he could even step out to search properly, the whole house collapsed again. He survived, though, and even found his phone later,” he said.

He added that a child was also rescued from under the debris. “The child was sleeping on the bed when the building came down. The debris fell on him, but the mattress protected him. We brought him out and handed him to a nurse — he survived,” Jamiu said.

Another eyewitness, Hakeem Ibrahim, said he rushed to the scene after noticing emergency vehicles heading towards the area. “I saw police and ambulances rushing there, so I followed. When I arrived, people inside the house were shouting for help. An old woman ran out, and not long after that, the building collapsed completely,” he said.

Ibrahim confirmed that rescue workers and residents managed to save a few victims, though others might still have been trapped at the time. “They rescued a child, but the man beside the child fainted. Many people were standing around the house before it came down — some escaped, but others were still inside,” he said.

Residents said the building had shown visible signs of weakness long before the collapse. “The house wasn’t strong at all. Some walls had already cracked. Anyone passing by could see it. That’s how it often happens in our area before these tragedies,” one of them said.

Emergency response teams, including police and medical personnel, were still at the site as of press time. Authorities have yet to confirm the number of casualties or the cause of the collapse, though poor maintenance and structural failure are suspected factors.