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Residents of an apartment building in Banana Island, Lagos, experienced a moment of relief after officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, successfully rescued them from an elevator where they had been trapped for over an hour.
The incident gained attention after a video circulated widely on social media showing the occupants raising alarm while stuck inside the lift.
In the footage, the residents appeared visibly distressed and sweating as they pleaded for help.
A social media user who shared the video claimed the incident occurred in an apartment complex located close to the Banana Island School Apartment.
According to the individual, the trapped residents had contacted the landlord’s daughter to seek assistance but were told that the building’s management would look into the situation.
In the video, the user said, “We are currently trapped inside the lift at the Banana Island School apartment. We have been stuck here for almost 40 minutes.
“We are suffocating in here and no one seems to be doing anything about it. We even contacted the landlady’s daughter and she said they would see what they can do.”
Providing an update on the incident, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed that the residents were eventually rescued through a coordinated emergency response.
According to him, LASEMA personnel worked alongside officers of the Federal Fire Service, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to free the trapped occupants.
“When the agency received the distress call, we immediately mobilised with the Federal Fire Service, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and NEMA. Through the joint effort, the occupants were rescued successfully,” he said.
Oke-Osanyintolu added that the affected residents were attended to at the scene and reassured after the rescue operation.
Reacting to concerns about the use of elevators that may be faulty or partially damaged, he advised residents to report such issues to relevant authorities.
“Lagos residents should notify the safety commission or the fire services by writing to them so the appropriate authorities can address the matter,” he said.
Lagos: LASEMA rescues residents trapped in elevator at Banana Island apartment
