Emergency crews are scrambling to rescue dozens of schoolchildren trapped under debris after a three-story building collapsed in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, on Wednesday.

Authorities said 37 people have so far been rescued, while eight have been found dead. 

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What we know so far:

• Up to 100 children could be trapped in the wreckage.
• The children had been attending an "illegal school" in a residential building.
• The building was located in the densely-populated Ita Faji area of Lagos.

'Parents are anxiously awaiting'

DW's West Africa correspondent Fanny Facsar reported that families were fearful over the fate of the children. 

"Parents are anxiously awaiting news about what has happened to their children," said Facsar.

Facsar reported that people near the site criticized how the search for survivors as turned into a "clean-up operation." An official told DW that "rescue teams do not expect to find more people inside the collapsed building."

Building collapses common

It was not immediately clear why the building collapsed. Lagos state Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said buildings in Ita Faji should have undergone integrity tests but landlords resisted.

Nigeria has witnessed scores of deaths in collapsed buildings, especially those built illegally.

In 2015, more than 110 people were killed when a six-story building collapsed during a church service. Two years later, another church collapsed in Uyo, killing 60 people.

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cw, ls/cmk (AFP, Reuters)