100 dead in Nigeria church collapse

BBC.COM | Monday December 12, 2016 10:25

 

Some reports put the number even higher. The roof of the church caved in on worshippers who had gathered for the ordination of a bishop on Saturday.

Those inside the Reigners Bible Church included Akwa Ibom state governor Udom Emmanuel, who survived the disaster.

The church was still under construction and workers had rushed to complete it for the ordination, witnesses said.

Mr Emmanuel said there would be an investigation into whether safety standards had been compromised.

Eyewitnesses told Reuters news agency that they had seen more than 100 bodies at the local morgue.

Etete Peters of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital told the AP news agency that at least 160 people had been killed.

Many more victims may have been taken to private mortuaries across Uyo, AP adds.

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed 'deep sorrow' over the incident.

An unnamed survivor quoted by Nigeria's Channels TV said: 'Suddenly, the roof fell on worshippers. The governor was quickly rescued. But others were not that lucky.'

Building collapses are relatively common in Nigeria, mainly due to the use of sub-standard materials and the violation of building regulations.

In 2014, scores of people were killed when a church hostel belonging to a Nigerian TV evangelist collapsed in the city of Lagos.