AFRICA : NIGERIA : 22 KILLED AT CHURCH DURING EASTER VIGIL COLLAPSED

Collapsed church in Benue. (Photo Courtesy LEADERSHIP)

LEADERSHIP REPORT: About 22 worshippers of St Robert's Catholic Mission in Benue State died on Saturday night during an Easter vigil mass when their church building suddenly collapsed midway into the service.
Thirty one people also sustained serious injuries just as the fate of the survivors is yet to be ascertained as at press time.
The incident was said to have happened at an outpost of the Christ the King Parish Church Adamgbe, Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue.
Adamgbe is located on the high brow landscape of Vandeikya Local government, about 11 Kilometers away from the main Vandeikya town, few miles to the border between Benue and Cross River states.
It was gathered that the pillars of the church suddenly uprooted from the ground, leading to the collapse of the building on the multitude of worshippers. The development was said to have led to abrupt end of the E aster mass vigil.

When our correspondent visited the area yesterday, the priest in charge of the St. Robert's Catholic Mission, Rev. Fr. Cosmos Jooli, said the mass was arranged to be held under the mango trees (outside the church building).

He added that the development was due to the fact that the worshippers were over populated and that the church could not accommodate the capacity of the congregation.
The cleric further disclosed that the incident occurred between 8.30pm and 9pm when he had gone to his apartment to prepare for the mass, saying that heavy rainstorm forced the worshippers to rush to the church building to take refuge.
He also claimed that the cause of the collapse was as a result of the storm and not the dilapidated or old nature of the building as was being speculated, adding that the ugly situation led to the cancellation of the inauguration of a new Hilux pick up Van purchased by the church to ease the problem of transportation.
The Benue State Police Command was said to have had assisted in the evacuation of the dead bodies and rescue of those who were already trapped by the fallen roof and were seeking for help.
Two of the injured worshippers, Mrs. Grace Ube and Miss. Felicia Nyiyongo, spoke to our correspondent at the St. Elizabeth Health Care and Maternity Centre, Vandeikya, where they were receiving treatment and thanked God for sparing their lives.
The dead bodies have since been deposited at the mortuary of the General Hospital in Vandeikya, while the injured are now receiving treatment at various hospitals.
SOURCE: LEADERSHIP REPORT