Synagogue Building Collapse: South Africa Sends Team As Death Toll Rises To 80..

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) put the total number of bodies recovered from the collapsed synagogue building as of Wednesday evening at 80.

There were strong indication on Wednesday evening that the emergency workers might conclude their activities on thursday , as they are close to the ground floor of the building.

Emergency workers, which included officials of the NEMA, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Nigeria Police and others, were seen on Wednesday evening battling to see if more bodies could be recovered.

Farinloye said “as of now, the total number of bodies that we have recovered is 80 and we have not rescued any new victim, apart from the 131 earlier rescued.”

He also added that the emergency operation would continue , adding that the exercise might be concluded today [Thursday].

Suspected relatives of those involved in the incident were seen at the gate, but were prevented from gaining entrance.

More bodies are still believed to be trapped in the wreckage  as South African President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday that 67 nationals died in the tragedy.

South Africa has sent a 10-man team to assist in the recovery of bodies at the site.

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said:

 “As per the instruction of our President Jacob Zuma, government has activated here at home a disaster management process and is treating the matter with the utmost urgency it deserves.

“Government understands fully the anguish and pain of the affected families and we are walking this difficult and painful (journey) hand in hand with the families.”

The government of Lagos State has launched a probe into how the six-storey edifice crumbled last Friday.

He said NEMA demanded severally for data on the possible number of people in the building but the church insisted it had none.

“We do not have the identities of the victims yet. What we have is what we are releasing,” Farinloye said, adding:

“The church has not given us the possible number of occupants. We have asked severally, even before we commenced operation and we were told they do not have.

“At the moment, we are facing the emergency phase, after which we will go into detailed investigation to know the identities of affected persons. So, we do not have such records.”

The NEMA spokesman said it was not out of place for the church not to have records of people on the premises.

On whether he had met with the church following President Zuma’s claims, he said: “I met with the church officials this morning and it was agreed that after the emergency phase, other things will be done.

“We have asked from day one about data; but we were not given. Ordinarily, you cannot start rescue operation without basic information, like the total figure.

“Aside that, you have to know locations where people are possibly trapped. That is why we initially went to ground zero where we got about 80 per cent of the survivors.

“The church did not give us figures. They did not have figures as at the time it happened. They just suspected which areas people could be trapped and told us.

“The building is used for multi-purpose; resturant, grocery shop and residential. So, you cannot blame them for not having the correct fugures at the time of the incident.

“When something of this magnitude happens, they will be traumatised. For the fact that they have not experienced this type of thing before, they would not know how to go about it. That is why NEMA has decided to train organisations on disaster preparedness so that they can have emergency marshals.

On the mystery woman who walked out of the rubble three days after the incident, Farinloye said: “Her identity and other details are not our concern now. Most of the survivors have been discharged from the hospitals while others are still being treated, especially those with serious issues.

“The police are in charge of the bodies. Australia, South Africa and other individuals have been calling to make enquiry about their people and we have been connecting them with the church.”

Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, said until detailed investigation is concluded on the cause of the collapse of the building, government would not take over the land – as required by the law.

He reiterated that the government did not grant any approval for the building, adding that a team of engineers from the ministry and other agencies were taking samples from the foundation and materials from the wreckage for analysis and testing to ascertain the structural integrity of the building.