Six killed in luxurious high rise building collapse in Nigeria

Nigeria: At least six people were killed in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, after the collapse of a luxurious high-rise building under construction, the head of the state's emergency services said on Tuesday.

Rescue units were racing against time to find survivors at the site in the affluent neighbourhood of Ikoyi after torrential rains hit Lagos overnight and briefly halted the search. Long trailers were brought in to help remove the debris, blocking one of the main roads in Ikoyi.

Building collapses are common in Africa's most populous country, where regulations are poorly enforced and building materials are often lacking.

"Currently, all first responders are on the ground while the search and rescue is continuing," Lagos state official Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu stated, considering that the death count was six. So far, seven people have been rescued alive when excavators sifted debris from the piles of broken concrete and twisted metal that engulfed the site where the building once stood.

Witnesses say up to 100 people went missing after the luxurious residential structure collapsed, trapping workers under a pile of rubble.

President Muhammadu Buhari has called for the rescue efforts to be hurried up.

Disturbed families whose relatives and loved ones were missing declined to speak to the media, although they were heard accusing emergency services of lack of urgency after rescue efforts were briefly halted due to rains.

New luxury apartments have been popping up in Ikoyi, and the fallen building was part of three skyscrapers being built by private developer Fourscore Homes, where the most affordable unit was selling for $1.2 million.

Fourscore Homes assured in a customer brochure to provide "a stress-free lifestyle with a hotel flair."

The cheapest unit was selling for $ 1.2 million and Fourscore Homes has said that 65% of the apartments had been sold and were scheduled to be occupied next year.

Phone calls to the numbers listed for Fourscore Homes and the prime construction contractor did not ring Tuesday.