60 killed, several injured as church roof collapses in Nigeria
Church where bodies of at least 60 victims have been retrieved from wreckage was still under construction and workers had been rushing to finish
At least 60 people were killed and several were wounded when the roof of a crowded church collapsed onto worshippers during a service in southern Nigeria on Saturday, witnesses and an official said.
Bodies of at least 60 victims have been retrieved but the toll could mount as a crane removes debris, according to a rescue official. Some reports put the number much higher, with many people believed to be still trapped under the debris.
The Reigners Bible Church International in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom state, was still under construction and workers had been rushing to finish it in time, congregants said.
The church collapsed during a service when a pastor was to be consecrated as bishop and local officials in attendance escaped unhurt, police spokeswomen Cordelia Nwawe said.
Hundreds of people, including Governor Udom Emmanuel, were inside when metal girders crashed onto worshippers and the corrugated iron roof caved in, they said. Emmanuel and Weeks, who preached that God will make his followers rich, escaped unhurt.
The governor’s spokesman, Ekerete Udoh, said the state government will hold an inquiry to investigate if anyone compromised building standards.
Buildings collapse regularly in Nigeria because of endemic corruption, with contractors using sub-standard materials and bribing inspectors to ignore shoddy work or a lack of building permits.
In 2014, 116 people died when a multi-story guesthouse of the Synagogue Church of All Nations collapsed in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital. Most victims were visiting South African followers of the megachurch’s influential founder TB Joshua.
Two structural engineers, Joshua and church trustees were accused of criminal negligence and involuntary manslaughter after a coroner found the building collapsed from structural failures caused by design and detailing errors.
However, Lagos state government efforts to bring them to court have been foiled by repeated legal challenges that have delayed a trial.
