JUST IN: Afriland Towers Fire Death Toll Rises to 10 as UBA Confirms Six Staff Fatalities

The death toll from the Afriland Towers fire on Broad Street, Lagos Island, has risen to 10 following confirmation that six employees of United Capital Plc lost their lives in the incident. The company announced the deaths on Thursday, describing the tragedy as “a painful loss that leaves an immeasurable void” and noting that a memorial service will be held in honour of the victims.

This confirmation comes less than a day after the Federal Inland Revenue Service reported that four of its officials died in the same fire.

The blaze broke out on Tuesday afternoon around 1:30 pm in the inverter room located in the basement of the eight-storey building. Thick smoke quickly filled the tower, forcing some workers to smash windows in desperate attempts to escape.

Emergency teams from the Federal Fire Service and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service managed to rescue nine people, reviving five at the scene while four others were evacuated unconscious.

Although eyewitnesses have claimed that several people may still be unaccounted for, authorities have yet to provide a full casualty figure. Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the Lagos State Fire Service and other emergency agencies were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.