Death toll soars in Nigeria building collapse

The death toll from the collapse of a 21-storey building in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos has risen to 36.

"So far, 36 people – 33 males and three female – have been confirmed dead, while there were nine survivors," Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, general manager of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, said on Thursday.

The building under construction in the Ikoyi district of Lagos crumbled on Monday afternoon, trapping dozens of people working on the site.

The emergency services said Wednesday that 22 bodies had been recovered, but more were found later in the day.

The number of people present on the site at the time of the collapse is still unknown.

READ MORE: Nigeria races to find survivors as building collapse toll rises

Poor construction standards

The cause of the incident is unknown but building collapses happen frequently in densely populated areas of Lagos, which is home to some 20 million people.

Construction standards are routinely ignored. Poor workmanship, materials and a lack of official oversight are often blamed.

Lagos authorities halted the construction of the building in June for not meeting standard structural requirements.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Wednesday he was setting up an independent panel to probe the causes of the collapse and prevent similar incidents in the future.

READ MORE: Several dead, dozens feared trapped after high-rise collapses in Nigeria