The collapse of a skyscraper under construction in the Nigerian capital

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A skyscraper under construction collapsed Monday in Nigeria's economic capital Lagos, killing at least three people and trapping dozens, rescue officials and construction workers said.

Officials were unable to say how many people were inside the collapsed building, while AFP journalists saw an excavator removing concrete blocks in search of survivors under the rubble of the 25-storey building in the Ikoyi district.

Dozens of angry residents gathered at the site after the building collapsed, while some wept, expressing frustration at the slow pace of rescue efforts.

Lagos State Police Commissioner Hakim Olisegun Odomuso announced that three bodies have been recovered so far and three people have been rescued.

He told reporters that "three bodies have been recovered and the operation is still going on," explaining that it is still too early to determine the cause of the building's collapse.

 "Several workers were trapped under the rubble," said Femi Oke-Usayentulu, an official with the Lagos Disaster Management Agency, without giving a specific number.

According to residents and workers at the site, dozens of people could have been inside when the building collapsed.

"I went out to buy food and saw the building collapse," Latif Chito said. "I feel very bad because the people who were inside had families."

Ikoyi is one of the most exclusive residential and commercial districts in Lagos, the economic capital of about 20 million people.

Building collapses are a common tragedy in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, where millions of people live in dilapidated buildings in violation of building codes.

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