*Lagos health emergency strategy will be replicated—FG
*As pupils narrate experience during
By Monsuru Olowoopejo
Lagos State Government yesterday disclosed that Deoxyribonucleic Acid, DNA test will be conducted on bodies recovered from site of the collapsed three-storey building on Massey street in Ita Faaji, Lagos Island Local Government.
The State Government added that of the 20 dead bodies recovered from the scene, five have been collected and buried by their families while the others were still in their custody. Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed the plan after conducting the minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, around the wards where the survivors were admitted.
According to Idris, 15 of them are still at the Lagos State Government mortuary because we are yet to get the family to come and claim them.
He added: “Where the corpses cannot be identified by the relatives, we will conduct a DNA test to ascertain their identity and hand them over to those that their samples match.”
Meanwhile, the minister has disclosed that the Federal Government will be replicating the health emergency strategy adopted during the disaster across the country to reduce number of deaths during disaster.
He said: “This will be included in the emergency medical treatment we are trying to put in place across the country, so this will become a routine for us as a nation.”
He commended the State Government for prompt response and medical care for survivors of building collapse in Lagos Island. Adewole said: “I am greatly impressed by the promptness of the emergency response of the State and the efficient health care deployed to ensure that the survivors of the sad incident are stabilized and kept alive.’
He also appreciated the State Government for granting free medical care to the victims in order to remove any barriers to prompt, qualitative and comprehensive care needful for the rehabilitation of victims.”
*Pupils narrate experience
For Nine-year-old Khalid Amoo, what he had been watching in different movies came to reality when the building of his school caved in and found himself under the rubble.
Khalid, whose left leg was hit by the slab, narrated his ordeal when Saturday Vanguard visited the Lagos Island General Hospital, saying none of the pupils had premonition of the incident.
He stated that the sudden collapse made them become unaware of what had happened immediately but minutes after, when they could not see any ray of light, they realized that the building had caved in.
According to him, I discovered that everywhere was dark. I could not see anything and could not move from the location where I was, then I screamed and started calling for help before I was removed from the rubble.
Another pupil, Omotolani Hassan, told Saturday Vanguard that the atmosphere before the disaster in their classroom was lively because they were being taught Home economics.
“This subject makes us, the five of us in our class, happy because we learn about things within our house, while this was on, the building collapsed and we met ourselves under the rubble.”