Three people have died while five others were rescued alive after a two-storey commercial building under construction collapsed in Owode-Ede, Ede North Local Government Area of Osun State.
The incident occurred at Zone 8, Oke Alaafia Community, at about 11 p.m. on Friday, October 30, trapping several people beneath the rubble.
The Federal Fire Service, Osun State Command, said it received a distress call at about 11:30 p.m. and immediately deployed its personnel to the scene to begin rescue operations.
According to the command’s spokesperson, DSF Ojo Omoyemi Olamide, five victims were rescued and taken to Idera Specialist Hospital in Ede for urgent medical attention, while the bodies of three others were recovered and handed over to the police.
The collapsed structure was a commercial shopping complex comprising six shops on the upper floor, another six on the middle floor and two stores on the ground floor.
Preliminary investigations by the Federal Fire Service reportedly identified structural defects and the possible use of substandard building materials as suspected causes of the collapse.
The rescue operation involved personnel of the Federal Fire Service, Osun State Fire Service, Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. It was completed on Saturday morning.
The Federal Fire Service estimated the value of property lost in the incident at ₦100 million, while property worth approximately ₦150 million was reportedly saved.
The incident has renewed concerns about compliance with building regulations and the use of approved construction materials, particularly in structures still under construction.