Synagogue Death Toll Now 49 As Sniffer Dogs Fail To Arrive

Although the Nigeria Police authorities yesterday deployed sniffer dogs to the scene of last Friday’s collapsed building owned by the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN in Ikotun area of Lagos, with a view to assisting rescue workers locate the exact positions of trapped victims, the handlers came without the special breed canines.

The vehicle said to be conveying the dogs to the scene reportedly broke down midway, thereby depriving rescue operators of their use.

An optimistic South West Spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye, however said; ‘’All things being equal, the rescue operation will be concluded by say 2.00pm tomorrow 

Death toll now 49

This is as the death toll rose to 49,with the recovery of additional five dead bodies between 5am and 5.35pm yesterday.

However during the course of search and rescue, electrical items under the debris , according to the Lagos State Fire Service, resulted in a fire outbreak.

As at 1.40pm, excavation work was close to the second floor where majority of the victims were believed to have been trapped. But locating their exact positions became a challenge, as some of the rescue workers told Vanguard that there was every likely hood that the excavator might cause more damage if proper care was not taken.

Consequently, a collective decision according to Farinloye, was reached to involve sniffer dogs.

“We are deploying Nigeria Police sniffer dogs to assist in locating trapped victims as we are getting close to the area suspected to have more people trapped.

‘’The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State ordered the release of five dogs after a collective decision to use dogs by responding agencies.

‘’NEMA has requested the Police Disaster Unit to manage the dogs. The dogs were to assist in search and rescue faster and help early conclusion of the operations”, Farinloye said.

Three more dead bodies, all females recovered.

Although the Nigeria Police authorities yesterday deployed sniffer dogs to the scene of last Friday’s collapsed building owned by the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN in Ikotun area of Lagos, with a view to assisting rescue workers locate the exact positions of trapped victims, the handlers came without the special breed canines.

The vehicle said to be conveying the dogs to the scene reportedly broke down midway, thereby depriving rescue operators of their use.

An optimistic South West Spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye, however said; ‘’All things being equal, the rescue operation will be concluded by say 2.00pm tomorrow (Today).’’

Death toll now 49

This is as the death toll rose to 49,with the recovery of additional five dead bodies between 5am and 5.35pm yesterday.

However during the course of search and rescue, electrical items under the debris , according to the Lagos State Fire Service, resulted in a fire outbreak.

As at 1.40pm, excavation work was close to the second floor where majority of the victims were believed to have been trapped. But locating their exact positions became a challenge, as some of the rescue workers told Vanguard that there was every likely hood that the excavator might cause more damage if proper care was not taken.

Consequently, a collective decision according to Farinloye, was reached to involve sniffer dogs.

“We are deploying Nigeria Police sniffer dogs to assist in locating trapped victims as we are getting close to the area suspected to have more people trapped.

‘’The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State ordered the release of five dogs after a collective decision to use dogs by responding agencies.

‘’NEMA has requested the Police Disaster Unit to manage the dogs. The dogs were to assist in search and rescue faster and help early conclusion of the operations”, Farinloye said.Three more dead bodies, all females recovered