At least eight people died when a multi-storey building collapsed in the Nigerian economic capital Lagos.

23 injured were taken to the hospital after they were rescued from the rubble, the rescue services said on Monday.

The accident had therefore occurred late Sunday evening in the Ebute-Metta district.

A representative of the National Civil Protection Agency Nema said the ground floor and first floor of the collapsed building were used as storage areas.

The second and third floors were therefore inhabited.

The rescue work continued on Monday, and investigations were launched into the cause of the accident.

In Nigeria, the lack of security in buildings has been discussed for months.

In January, three people, including two children, died when a church collapsed in southern Delta state.

In November, a skyscraper under construction in Lagos collapsed, killing at least 45 people.

According to a study by a South African university, at least 152 buildings have collapsed in Lagos alone since 2005.

Poor craftsmanship standards, inferior building materials and corruption in the supervisory authorities are often given as reasons for the frequent incidents.

In Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, millions of people live in ramshackle dwellings.

The metropolis Lagos has more than 20 million inhabitants and has been growing rapidly for years.