By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The death toll from the fire outbreak at the Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) House in the Marina area of Lagos Island has risen to five, following the recovery of two additional bodies from the rubble.

The latest recovery brings the total number of casualties to five, after two bodies were earlier recovered on Friday and another on Saturday.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) confirmed the development on Sunday in its Day Five update on the incident. The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed that the additional bodies were recovered during ongoing search and rescue operations.

Recall that the fire broke out on Thursday on the fourth floor of the 25-storey GNI building and spread to the sixth floor before engulfing several other floors and adjoining structures.

During the inferno, a detached section of the building collapsed, trapping some traders. The fire also spread to nearby buildings, including the Old Lagos Central Mosque.

Providing details of the recovered bodies, Oke-Osanyintolu said a total of five bodies have so far been extricated from the rubble by the agency’s response team. The victims include one adult female recovered dead from within the collapsed structure and handed over to her husband; one decapitated adult male with severed limbs; one adult male recovered with the body intact; and two adult males who were severely burnt and beyond recognition.

He further disclosed that eight injured victims, all males, including a firefighter, were rescued and taken to hospital with varying degrees of injuries.

In addition, five other victims described as “walking wounded” — comprising three males and two females — sustained minor injuries, received first aid at the scene and were subsequently released.

Search and rescue operations are still ongoing as of press time, with LASEMA response teams working alongside the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Red Cross, and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service to locate other persons reportedly trapped in the affected building.