The Akwa Ibom government has declared two days of mourning beginning Sunday and ending on Monday for the victims of the collapsed building of Reigners Bible Church in Uyo, the state capital in which an undisclosed number of people lost their lives.
The roof of the building collapsed while the congregation was attending the ordination of the founder who was to be made a bishop.
Governor Udom Emmanuel and members of the state executive council were present at the church when the incident occurred.
Several eyewitnesses have put the death toll at between 80 and 100 while several hundreds sustained injury.
In a statement, the state government said that during the period flags are to be flown half mast within the state during the days of mourning adding that the “days of mourning will be rounded off on Monday 12th December 2016 by 4.pm with a solemn assembly to be held at the Banquet Hall, Government House Uyo.”
Meanwhile, Governor Udom Emmanuel has ordered for the immediate arrest of the contractor handling the building project.
Meanwhile, Governor Udom Emmanuel has ordered for the immediate arrest of the contractor handling the building project.
According to eyewitnesses, the body of those affected in the disaster have been taken to various health facilities in Uyo adding that morgues are overflowing with corpses.
Another statement by the state branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and signed by its chairman, Aniekeme Uwah, it said that 21 people were Brought In Dead (BID) to the University of Uyo teaching hospital while two out of the 23 that were undergoing treatment died due to many severe bleeding.
He called on “all the survivors who had suffered any form of trauma to report to the various health facilities for proper medical examination as blunt injuries could lead to internal bleeding and avoidable deaths.”
The NMA chairman described the incident as “a very trying and difficult moment for all of us as our state has never been faced by a disaster of this magnitude with attendant huge casualties” adding that as “ patriots, we have to rise to the occasion by being our brothers’ keepers and lending a helping hand to those in need.”
Similarly, the state branch of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has called on its members and Nigerians to hold special prayers for the church in their services today while also urging “all churches to take special offerings for the medical assistance of all those injured and send same to the Reigners’ Bible Church. “
