Lagos building collapse death toll rises to 10

The death toll in a building collapse in Lagos, Nigeria, has risen to 10 (including a child), officials said Tuesday.

The Sunday building collapse in Nigeria's economic capital caused the death of 10 people. The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the updated death toll on Tuesday. Rescuers had initially retrieved eight bodies from the rubble. 

One additional person was rescued on Monday, bringing the number of survivors to 24. Officials say they sustain “varying degrees of injury”.

The ground-floor and the first-floor of the building were used as warehouses. The second and the third floor were rented to tenants. The building collapsed late Sunday in the Ebute-Metta area, a neighbourhood of Lagos megalopolis which is home to more than 20 million inhabitants. The National Emergency Management Agency said an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the collapse. 

Since 2005, at least one hundred and fifty-two buildings have collapsed in Lagos, according to a South African university researcher.