Photo: Kayode Oladapo/Premium Times

A child being rescued from the scene of a building, which collapsed at Itafaji on the Lagos Island on Wednesday.

By Olamide Fadipe

Residents of Lagos State have responded en masse to the call to come out and donate blood for the survivors of the building collapse at Ita Faji, Lagos Island.

According to the executive secretary of Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service, Modupe Olaiya, the donor turn out has been massive and quite impressing.

A three-storey building housing a children’s school collapsed Wednesday morning trapping over 100 people.

At least 10 dead bodies have been recovered from the rubble, emergency rescue agencies say.

“As early as yesterday night, we had people coming in to donate blood after office hours and people are still trooping in by the hour. I am really impressed by the turn out of donors,” Ms Olaiya said.

“As you can see by yourself, this centre is filled up. Despite people leaving immediately, they are done donating, people keep pouring in. This is not the only centre blood donation is ongoing.

“If you go to the pathology section right now, people are also there donating blood as well and it is filled.

“We have also instructed people who can’t make it down here to go to the nearest government hospital around them to donate blood and the blood will get to us as at when needed and reports we have been getting is that people are going to donate in those places as well.

“I am even receiving calls from people who are unable to leave their offices to come and donate, asking us to come down to their offices for the donation and we have to reschedule with them because we have a lot of people that need our attention here as well.

“We would also like that more people become regular donors because blood is important to save lives. It should not only be during emergencies like this that people come to donate blood. “

PREMIUM TIMES spoke to some of the donors waiting to donate blood and got to know that some of them had to travel some distance to get to the hospital, with the sole aim of donating blood for the survivors.

A donor who identified herself as Iyanu said she came down all the way from Fadeyi to donate blood.

“I came all the way from Fadeyi as early as I could this morning to donate blood. I am a member of life savers, so, when I got their message on the blood emergency last night, I left my house as early as possible today to come and donate.”

Another donor, who identified himself as Lolu Agoro, said he left his office at Ikoyi to donate blood for the survivors of the building collapse.

“I just finished donating blood,” Mr Agoro said.

“I saw the call on social media for people to come and donate blood here to save the lives of the victims of the disaster and I came down here with one of my colleagues from Ikoyi to donate and I hope more people will still come out to do the same.”

Earlier, at the hospital, families of the victims alleged that the hospital was not releasing enough blood to the victims, stating that some are yet to receive blood.

Efforts from various agencies to mitigate the effects of the building collapse is still ongoing as at the time of filing this report. Agencies like NEMA, LASEMA, LRU, Lagos State safety commission and many more are still doing one thing or the other to ensure that as many lives as possible, are saved from the disaster.