Tag Archives: COLLAPSE

2 killed, 17 injured as stalls collapse in Akwa Ibom market.

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Two women were killed while 17 persons sustained various degrees of injuries following the collapse of market stalls at Urua Edet-Obo, a market at Ikot Akpatek in Onna local government area of Akwa Ibom state.

 

Murtala Mani, state police commissioner, confirmed the tragic incident in a telephone conversation with reporters.

 

“Two women died during the tragedy, caused by the collapse of an old wall,” he said. “Others who sustained injuries have been taken to the hospital for treatment.”

 

A witness said the remains of the deceased had been deposited at Immanuel Hospital in Eket, a neighbouring local government area.

 

The witness added that some of the injured victims, many of them women, were responding to treatment in the hospital.

 

The incident happened nine days after scores of worshippers were killed in a building collapse at Reigners Bible Church, Uyo.

UPDATE: More than 200 people died in the Uyo church building collapse

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At least 200 people have been killed in the building of Reigners Bible Church that collapsed in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, on Saturday.

The confirmation was given by Etete Peters, a professor and chief medical director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, where the victims were rushed to.

“We only lost one person in the hospital except those that were brought dead. In circumstances like this, we have been overwhelmed. We need help from government,” Peters told Punch Newspaper.

“Many victims are in private hospitals and mortuaries scattered all over Uyo metropolis; we can’t really tell how many people have died so far. We have over 200 persons in the mortuaries. We do not have space, as people are still being brought in.

“We have done our best to revive some victims. Right now, we have over 50 cases we are attending to. This is the first time we are witnessing such an incident.”

Uduak Effiong, a survivor, gave estimated the death toll at 300, saying 100 of those bodies were close to her.

“I saw over 100 dead bodies. These were the ones close to me,” the victim said.

“From my estimation, more than 300 people might have died as people came from other churches in all parts of the state, including government-sponsored praised singers with uniforms to attend the programme. For some of us that escaped, we only did by the special grace of God.”

Effiong, a Communication Arts student of Uyo university, added that she lost three of her colleagues to the incident.

Udom Emmanuel, governor of the state, could have been a victim himself had he arrived the church early enough, said the government would bear the cost of treating the victims and promised to setup a panel to ascertain the cause of the mishap.

“I was present at the church during the incident and shared in the agony of the moment. Thereafter, I personally supervised rescue operations and evacuation of the injured to the hospital,” he said.

“I directed all emergency organisations, agencies of government and corporate organisations especially the construction companies to be involved in the exercise. They acted promptly and I commend their sense of patriotism and gallantry.

“The State Government will bear the medical cost of all those injured. We note that we have never had such a shocking incident in the history of our dear state.

“Government will, therefore, set up a high-powered panel of inquiry to ascertain the immediate and remote causes leading to the collapse of the building with a view to forestalling the recurrence of such incident and bring to book persons found to have compromised professional standards in the construction of the building.

“We appeal to all citizens to remain calm, pray for the injured and avoid undue speculation as the situation is being given the best possible attention.”

Six Storey Building Collapses in Abuja, 5 Casualties Involved

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A six story building which is under construction has collapsed in Abuja. The building, a projected world class hotel, located at 444 Crescent, Citec Villas, Gwarimpa trapped a number of construction workers estimated to be numbered about 5 when in collapsed this morning.

Meanwhile, efforts are on ground by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA to rescue the trapped victims.

Lekki Gardens MD Richard Nyong, Detained At Panti Over Building Collapse

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Following the collapse of a five-storey building under construction on Kushenla Road, Ikate Elegushi, Lekki on Tuesday, the Police on Thursday said Richard Nyong, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lekki Gardens, the construction company behind the collapsed building, has been detained at Panti Police Station.

Police Public Relations Officer in Lagos, Mrs. Dolapo Badmos, who confirmed Nyong’s arrest, said he will be charged to court as soon as investigations are completed.

On Wednesday, Governor Ambode had ordered all Directors of Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited to
submit themselves to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, within the next twenty four hours or face immediate arrest.

Nyong complied with the directive and reported himself to the office of the Commissioner of Police in company of his lawyer, Mr. Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and was detained after interrogation.

It would be recalled that the Lagos State Government in the wake of the building collapse, revealed that preliminary reports and investigation, it was discovered that the collapsed building was served contravention notice for exceeding the approved floors and thereafter sealed by the Lagos State Building Control Agency.

The government also discovered that in a brazen act of defiance and impunity, the owners of the building, Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited, the promoters of Lekki Gardens, criminally unsealed the property and continued building beyond the approved floors until the unfortunate incident of Tuesday which has led to the death of over 30 persons.

Governor Ambode who is said to be irked at the spate of building collapse in the state had vowed to wield the big stick so as to put a stop to the disturbing trend.

Bridesmaid’s Collapse During Bride & Groom’s First Kiss

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Newlyweds Kevin Kennedy Ryan and Jessica Ryan Smith will never forget their first kiss as husband and wife, for more than the usual reason.

Just as Ryan was following the orders of the judge who presided over their Chicago wedding to “kiss the bride,” his younger sister, a bridesmaid, fainted and fell face forward onto the ground.

“As we were leaning in you just heard this huge thud,” Ryan, 25, told ABC News. “I first thought she’d tripped over something so I stifled a laugh.”

(Credit: Sean Cook Weddings)

Instead, the bridesmaid, 16-year-old Grace Ryan, had fallen victim to the blistering heat of a July day in Chicago inside a venue that had floor-to-ceiling windows.

“I’m pretty sure it was the hottest day of the year,” the groom said of his July 25 wedding. “We’d all been standing in the sun doing pictures. … I know I was dripping with sweat.”

Grace was able to stand back up after her fall with a little help, but was still “wobbly,” according to Ryan, so was taken down to the bridal party room to sit down and eat and drink.

“She had a tiny little nick on her chin and a tiny cut under her eye but she was fine,” Ryan said.

Meanwhile, the wedding continued on without her, starting with a redo of the couple’s kiss.

“As we’re redoing the kiss, you can see the flowers on the ground that she kind of knocked down,” Ryan said.

Ryan said he did not know the moment had been captured so perfectly on camera by wedding photographer Sean Cook until Cook sent him a preview asking him if he wanted to include his sister’s fall in his and Smith’s official wedding photos.

Read More: yahoo

Coroner Delivers Verdict Today On Synagogue Building Collapse

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Baring any unforeseen circumstances, the coroner inquest into the Synagogue collapse building will today deliver its final verdict at the Coroner court, Ikeja.

The coroner court, presided over by Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, fixed the July date after parties in the quest had adopted their final written addresses earlier submitted to the court.

The Lagos State Government had inaugurated the Coroner’s Inquest under the state Coroner’s System Law No.7 of 2007 to investigate the cause and circumstances resulting in the death of 166 people following the building collapse of September 12, 2014, and bring its findings and recommendations to the appropriate authorities.

For the period the inquest lasted, the General Overseer and founder of Synagogue, Prophet Temitope Joshua, who was summoned by the coroner refused to show up.

Instead, Joshua challenged the jurisdiction of the court by filing an application dated November 11, 2014 and marked ID/188MJR/2014 before the High Court, seeking a judicial review of the Coroner’s Inquest into the September 12, 2014 collapse.

He had asked the court to declare that the coroner had exceeded its  court jurisdiction by delving into areas beyond its scope.

Read More: vanguardngr

Pastor Bakare “Hale & Hearty”, Needs Rest After Collapse- Latter Rain Assembly

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Outspoken Nigeria pastor, Tunde Bakare, who collapsed Monday while giving a lecture to a group of investors in Lagos is “hale, hearty and in good spirit though in need of rest,” his church, the Latter Rain Assembly said through its social media handles.

While thanking followers of Mr Bakare, who is also an influential social activist and one of the most relentless critics of governments, for their outpouring of love and concern, the church said he needs “the space and time to fully recuperate over the next few days”.

“Thank you all for your outpouring of affection and concern through calls, messages, and prayers,” the statement by the church’s executive council read. “Please be assured that Pastor Tunde Bakare is hale, hearty and in good spirits, though in need of rest.”

Mr. Bakare was reported to have collapsed while delivering a lecture during the Capital Investors dinner at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos on Monday.

A witness had told Sahara Reporters that there was a swelling on his forehead after he fell. He was rushed to Reddington Hospital in Lagos and was discharged after receiving preliminary treatment.

Nigeria’s Economy Won’t Collapse, Says Okonjo-Iweala

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Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Sunday night said that despite the various challenges facing the country, the national economy will not collapse. The minister, in a statement issued by her Special Adviser on Communications, Paul Nwabuikwu, said this during a chat with some journalists.

She dismissed allegations that the economy was in ruins, saying the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan had put in place solid economic legacies for the incoming government.

The minister also advised politicians and opinion leaders not to denigrate the economy because negative and false comments on the economy could have negative impact the economy, the exchange rate, the stock market and reduce investor confidence.

Read more:  DailyPost

No Bridge Collapsed In Kano – Commissioner

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Against the backdrop of the media report that a bridge collapsed in Kano, the Kano State commissioner for works, housing and transport, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has described the media report as inaccurate, considering the fact that it was a concrete beam that slipped and not a bridge collapse.

In his address to newsmen in his office, the commissioner said what happened was an accident which happens in many construction sites.

He said the construction company was not at fault and there was no evidence of substandard work that caused the slip of the concrete beam which killed three people.

Yusuf stated that the incident was the will of Allah who destined for the deceased to die the way they did.

“As the incident occurred, we had to deploy heavy duty vehicles to be able to move the concrete beam but we couldn’t, and this proved the quality of the work. We had to bring in heavy duty hacksaw machines to divide the concrete beam into three before it was moved”, he narrated.

Yusuf added that there were four similar concrete beams already mounted on the pillars of the pedestrian bridge and they had been there for days; the last one was mounted and technical work was ongoing to tie it up when the taxi encroached and accidentally, the beam fell on it.

He said that the construction company has done quite a number of quality construction works for Kano State government including the same Sheikh Jaafar road, where the pedestrian bridge was under construction.

He stressed that only biased minds would call for the technical audit of all the bridges that were constructed and already handed over to government, adding that what should be taken into cognisance is that the pedestrian bridge in question is still under construction.

T.B Joshua Loses Suit to Stop Synagogue’s Collapse Probe

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A Lagos High Court, sitting in Ikeja, on Friday, dismissed an application by Prophet Temitope Joshua, seeking to stop the coroner inquest into the collapse of a building in his church in Ikotun, Lagos, Synagogue Church for All Nations, in September, last year.

A coroner on Tuesday said he would within two weeks give his verdict into the causes of last year’s deadly building collapse at the compound of pastor TB Joshua.

Coroner Oyetade Komolafe has been probing the 12 September accident that killed 116 people, mostly South Africans, but the inquiry was stalled by a three-week judicial staff strike.

Credit: NAN

S.Africa to Repatriate Bodies of Nationals Killed in Synagogue Collapse

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The South African government said Tuesday that it was ready to repatriate on the weekend the bodies of 81 of its nationals killed in a September church building collapse in Nigerian economic capital Lagos.

 “We have 100 percent fool-proof plan that should we get a green light, we should be able to dispatch two chartered flights to Lagos so that Saturday evening we can be able to transport the remains to South Africa,” Jeff Radebe, a minister in the presidency told journalists.

Radebe, who is leading a powerful South African delegation to Nigeria over the repatriation of the bodies, said he met President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja on Monday over the issue.

Radebe, the special envoy of President Jacob Zuma, said he discussed with the Nigerian leader “the need for the speeding up of the process of repatriating 81 South Africans who perished in the tragic event” of September 12 in Lagos.

A total of 116 people were killed when a guesthouse at the Lagos megachurch of one of Nigeria’s most popular preachers, TB Joshua, collapsed.

Credit: Yahoo News

Another Church Building Collapses In Benin

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Members of the Liberty Power Bible Church, famously known as Power Palace, narrowly escaped death on Sunday when their church building collapsed barely one hour after service.

However, nobody died in the incident.It was gathered that the building was still under construction.

The roof and pillars of the building fell on another building.Owner of the damaged building, Ajor Sylvanus, said the church collapsed at 1:45 pm.

He told reporters that he warned the pastor about materials used for the building.“Yesterday, there was a storm but I have been complaining about the building.

“The pastor built the church like a fence, with no pillar. The block was made of sand. I have been telling him that the absence of pillars would cause the building to collapse.

“The building fell on my building and damaged many things. I thank God that nobody died. When the pastor came, he was concerned about the musical instruments in his church and thanking God that his members were not around when the building fell.

“I had to call the police”, he added.