Heart-wrenching details have emerged from the catastrophic fire that burned and partially collapsed the Great Nigeria Insurance House plaza in Balogun Market on Lagos Island last week.

One of the casualties, a China-based cloth dealer named Nze Obum, has been confirmed dead after being buried beneath the rubble after a portion of the building fell during the fire.

The fire apparently began on Wednesday on the fourth floor of the 25-story building before quickly spreading to upper floors and surrounding properties. As the fire spread, a detached portion of the plaza collapsed, trapping traders and market attendants who remained inside.

On Friday, emergency personnel retrieved two male bodies, one of which was identified as Obum.

Zacheaus Afolayan, a dealer at the market, verified Obum’s death, claiming that his body was released to the family later that day and has since been sent to Anambra State for burial.

According to Afolayan, Obum was in the midst of evacuating his belongings when disaster struck.

He explained that Obum had already removed the majority of his products from his shop, which is located beyond the square, but returned to recover the remaining items as the fire spread. It was at this point when the weakest element of the structure fell.

Even more heartbreaking, Obum apparently called from under the wreckage in the early hours of Thursday, confirming his survival.

According to Afolayan, Obum called him at 2 a.m., begging for help and begged not to be left to die, claiming that his children had no one else to care for them.

He revealed that Obum lives and works in China, only returning to Nigeria during festive seasons to deal. He stated that Obum called back later that afternoon, but his voice was noticeably weaker.

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