Minor killed, others injured as excavator hits Lagos mosque

Tragedy struck on Sunday, as a mosque that collapsed killed an 11-year-old girl in the Papa Ajao area of the state as a result of a hit by an excavator clearing the road in the area.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Gbenga Omotoso, who confirmed the development in a post on X.com, said 10 people were believed to have been trapped when the building caved in following the collision.

He, however, noted that a corpse had been retrieved from the rubble of the collapsed mosque, adding that the rescued victims received pre-hospital care and one of them with severe injuries was transferred to the hospital for treatment.

Omotoso’s post read in part, “Building collapse at Papa Ajao. A storey building has collapsed on Yusuf Street, Papa Ajao, Lagos. An excavator clearing a road hit a storey building, a mosque, which collapsed.

Four injured persons were rushed to hospital; 10 people were believed to have been trapped in the rubble. Rescuers are on the site. One body was retrieved; the others received pre-hospital care. One with serious injuries was transferred to hospital. All Lagos State emergency agencies are at the scene.

While some people escaped from the incident, others, who were unlucky, got trapped under the rubble.

Alarmed by the development, people, while attempting to rescue some of the trapped victims, informed emergency responders, including the police, who stormed the premises to begin the rescue operation.

Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in his reaction to the tragedy, said the corpse recovered at the scene was that of an 11-year-old girl, adding that a rescue operation was going on.

He said, “The rescue operation is ongoing but as I speak with you, the corpse of an 11-year-old girl has been recovered. The operation is still ongoing.