Three persons have been confirmed dead while four others sustained varying degrees of injuries after a two-storey shopping complex collapsed in Owode-Ede, Ede North Local Government Area of Osun State.
The incident reportedly occurred at about 11:00 p.m. on Friday, trapping seven artisans working at the construction site beneath the rubble.
The artisans, who were reportedly apprentice tilers, were said to have come from Ejigbo, Osun State, to work on the building.
Sources told HERALDSUN that the workers had worked late into the night and decided to sleep at the site, with plans to continue their work on Saturday morning.
The sources added that their boss was not present at the scene when the incident occurred.
According to the sources, the building was already in a bad condition before it collapsed.
The collapsed structure was a shopping complex comprising twelve shops on the second and third floors, while the basement contained two stores.
Sources also alleged that there was no engineering supervision during the construction of the building, adding that the owner, whose house is located behind the shopping complex, was personally in charge of the project.
The owner was also said to have been responsible for purchasing the building materials used for the construction.
In a video seen by HERALDSUN, the collapsed structure was reduced to rubble, with debris scattered across the construction site.
HERALDSUN also observed a Federal Fire Service truck at the scene, as officers of the agency and other emergency responders carried out rescue operations.
While three persons were confirmed dead, the remaining five were rescued with varying degrees of injuries.
The cause of the building collapse could not be independently established as of the time of filing this report.
