Dive Brief:
- Nigerian authorities have said that illegal construction is likely to blame for a building collapse in Lagos, Nigeria, that has killed at least 34 people. Authorities said heavy rains were also a contributing factor.
- A preliminary investigation into the Lekki Gardens collapse has revealed that despite authorities sealing off the project and stopping work due to the owner exceeding approved floors, the owners unsealed the project and "criminally … continued building beyond the approved floors," The Guardian reported.
- Poor workmanship and lack of supervision have contributed to building collapses in the highly populated areas of Lagos, but they are less common in the affluent sections of town, where Lekki Gardens is located, according to The Guardian.
Dive Insight:
Lekki is a U.S.-style housing development with estates that can run into the millions. Representatives of Lekki Gardens said in a statement that construction was halted in January "over reported structural defects" but did not address the work that continued until the collapse.
This occurrence is similar to that of a Lagos church guesthouse collapse in 2014 which killed 116 people. Authorities said church officials there tried to add too many floors to the guesthouse without required planning approvals.