Two adult men, whose identities are yet to be established, were found dead in the rubble of the Grand Insurance House of Nigeria on Lagos Island, following the devastating fire that gutted the high-rise building on Thursday.
The bodies were recovered on Friday during ongoing search and rescue operations in the Marina axis, where the multi-storey structure was severely damaged in the fire.
Newslodge reports that the fire originated on the fourth floor of the 25-story building before spreading to the sixth floor and subsequently consuming other levels as well as nearby structures.
During the incident, a section of the building reportedly collapsed, leaving some shopkeepers trapped under the rubble.
The fire also spread to surrounding properties, including the former Lagos Central Mosque.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, were unsuccessful as he had not responded to queries as of press time.
However, a LASEMA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the two bodies were discovered during ongoing operations to locate the victims believed to have been trapped.
“Two bodies were recovered today during the search exercise. The first was found around 11:03 am, while the second was recovered around 12:03 pm,” the official revealed.
Search, recovery and security operations are said to continue at the scene as emergency teams work to account for all affected people and prevent further danger.