At least 160 dead after a church collapses in Nigeria

church collapsedPeople carry a body on a stretcher after a church collapsed during a service in the southern city of Uyo in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria in this still image from video December 10, 2016. Video taken December 10, 2016. NTA via REUTERS TV.

At least 160 people were killed when a church collapsed in the city of Uyo in southern Nigeria on Saturday, said witnesses and local officials. According to local media, the final death toll may be upward of 200.

Governor, Udom Emmanuel, in the Nigerian state of Akwa Ibom, was in the church when it happened, but he escaped without serious injury, said his spokesperson, Ekerete Udoh.

President Muhammadu Buhari, according to a spokesperson, expressed his sincere condolences and the ‘deep sorrow his family,the government ,and the entire Nigerian people feel for the many dead and wounded after this incident.’

Many more may be lying dead beneath the ruins

At least 160 bodies have been discovered and brought out of the church ruins, but the figure could rise further as cranes lift away the building’s remains, said an anonymous rescue worker who wasn’t authorised to speak to the media.

The local morgues were crowded on Sunday, and according to local media and news agencies in Nigeria, as many as 200 people may have lost their lives.

According to spokesperson Udoh, ‘ the church broke up around them’ during a ceremony in which the church’s priest was going to be made a bishop.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today