Three persons have reportedly 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 around 11pm on Friday at Zone 8, Oke Alaafia Community, triggering an emergency rescue operation involving the Federal Fire Service and other security and emergency agencies.

The spokesperson for the Federal Fire Service, Osun State Command, DSF Ojo Omoyemi Olamide, disclosed the development in a statement, explaining that the command received a distress call through its emergency line at about 11:30pm and immediately deployed personnel to the scene.

According to her, the five survivors were rescued from the debris and taken to Idera Specialist Hospital, Ede, for urgent medical attention, while the three bodies recovered were handed over to the police at A Division, Ede.

Olamide described the collapsed structure as a two-storey shopping complex designed for commercial activities, comprising six shops on the upper floor, another six on the middle floor and two stores on the ground floor. The building reportedly covered an area of about 50 metres by 100 metres.

Giving an account of the preliminary findings, the fire service spokesperson said structural defects and the suspected use of substandard building materials were being considered as possible causes of the collapse.

The rescue operation involved personnel of the Federal Fire Service, Osun State Fire Service from its Ede station, the Nigeria Police Force, A Division, Ede, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Owode-Ede Division.

She said the operation was concluded on Saturday morning, with the responding personnel returning to their station at about 9:26am.

The incident was also estimated to have caused property losses worth about N100m, while assets valued at approximately N150m were reportedly saved during the emergency response.

Renewed concerns over building safety

The collapse has once again drawn attention to concerns about building safety, particularly the quality of construction materials and compliance with approved structural standards.

The suspected involvement of structural defects and substandard materials, as stated in the preliminary findings, highlights the need for proper supervision and enforcement of building regulations to prevent avoidable disasters.

While investigations are expected to establish the actual circumstances surrounding the incident, the tragedy has left families mourning and raised fresh questions about the safety of commercial structures in the state.