Death toll rises to 21 in Nigerian building site collapse

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The death toll from the collapse of a high-rise apartment building under construction in Nigeria’s most populous city has risen to 21, the Lagos state governor says, as rescue crews continue to seek surviving workers in the rubble. Nine people had been saved as of Tuesday but no new survivors had been found so far on Wednesday. The previous official death toll, released early Tuesday afternoon, had been 14. Authorities have arrested the property’s owner, saying that his building permit only allowed for a 15-story structure. An investigation is also under way into whether there were lapses by state regulators in overseeing the project. The building collapsed Monday.