The Lagos State Government has announced that it would this week begin to release the corpses recovered from the building collapse in Ikoyi to the respective families.
This was announced by the state Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, in a statement on Tuesday titled, ‘Update on Gerrard Road Building Collapse.’
The government had earlier started the collection of DNA samples from corpses recovered from the 21-storey building that collapsed on Gerrard Road, in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro had reported that the 21-storey building crumbled last Monday around 2pm.
At least 44 people have been confirmed dead in the incident.
In the recent update, Omotoso stated that 29 families have submitted DNA samples so far.
The statement read, “The identification of bodies of the victims of the Ikoyi building collapse has continued at the IDH, Yaba, Lagos Mainland.
“Twenty-nine families have come forward to submit samples for DNA to identify bodies that they wish to claim. In cases where identification is clear and there are no arguments, the bodies will be released to the families as from this week.
“A committee to supervise the identification and release of the bodies has been set up. It comprises senior officials of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice.
“At the site, the operation continues. It will go on until the site is cleared and nobody is left in the rubble of the collapsed 21-storey edifice.
“The Panel of Inquiry set up by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to find out why the building went down and suggest ways of stopping such incidents has continued its sittings. It is collecting documents that may help unravel the mystery of the collapsed building.”
