Synagogue: 17 Confirmed Dead, 123 Critically Injured

At least 17 yet to be identified bodies were, yesterday, recovered
from the rubbles of the collapsed six-storey building under
construction in Synagogue of All Nations Church, Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos,
while 123 victims were rescued.

Among the survivors was said to be a three-year-old girl who
reportedly escaped without injury.
In the meantime, Lagos State government said it had commenced
investigation into the immediate and remote cause(s) of the collapse
with the aim of preventing future occurrence as well as identifying
any violation of the state's building regulatory law.

The site of the collapsed building at the Synagogue Church, Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos.

Tragedy struck on Friday when the building, under construction at the
Pastor T.B. Joshua-led Synagogue Church of All Nations, collapsed
while labourers were working at the site.

Joshua, yesterday, attributed the cause of the building collapse to
terror attack, citing a plane that allegedly hovered in the sky around
the building before the incident.

The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA,
Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, who confirmed the number of the dead and the
injured, added that survivors were receiving treatment in government
hospitals.

According to the LASEMA boss, the rescued victims, comprising of men
and women, including young ones, sustained severe injuries and many of
them lying critically ill in hospital.

Late yesterday, Osanyintolu said rescue operation was almost completed
as the rubbles had been brought to ground zero level, indicating there
could be no more bodies trapped in the debris. "We are on top of the
situation".
When asked whether the state government was considering revoking the
land title in accordance with the policy on collapsed building, the
LASEMA boss could not give a definite response. He simply said the
state government had commenced investigation into the possible cause
of the collapsed building for appropriate action to be taken.

One of the workers who escaped from the scene, Mr. Muhammed Idris,
told his story. He said, "I am unable to reach my friend through his
phone. He was at the site. I have called him countless number of times
but he was yet to answer his call. I would have been at the site but I
decided to stay back."

On why the structure collapsed, he said, "I cannot say because we do
not use substandard building materials."

Meanwhile, South West Information Officer of the National Emergency
Management Agency, NEMA, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, told Sunday Vanguard,
yesterday, that the rescue operation was yet to be concluded and "we
cannot give actual figure of the number of the persons involved."

Farinloye said: "The number is increasing every minute. At the moment,
we have 17 dead and 123 rescued from the collapsed building. The
ongoing rescue operation was done by a combined team from NEMA and the
state counterpart, LASEMA, Red Cross and the church members."

T.B Joshua explains how building collapsed

While addressing journalists, yesterday, in a session in which cameras
and all forms of electronic recordings were disallowed, Pastor Joshua
blamed the building collapse on terror attack after the church showed
a clip taken from CCTV footage showing events that took place before
and after the six-storey building collapsed.

From the footage, a plane was seen hovering in the sky four
times-11:30 am, 11:43 am, 11:45 am and 11:54 am- before the building
went down without something extraneous triggering it.

After the plane hovered the fourth time in the sky, the structure
collapsed at exactly 12:44 pm.
In his explanation after showing the footage, Joshua said the building
might have collapsed as a result of terror attack, saying, "In few
weeks, the truth behind the collapsed building will be revealed. The
last time the Boko Haram issue occurred, some journalists and the
police were against the church, but, after some weeks, the truth
behind the attack was revealed."

(Photo: The site of the collapsed building at the Synagogue Church,
Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos.)