Synagogue: 17 Of Our People Still Missing -- S'Africa

As rescue work at the scene of last Friday's collapsed building used
as guest house by the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN was
concluded yesterday, the South African government said 17 of its
nationals were still unaccounted for.

This is just as SCOAN has remained silent on the identities and number
of persons who lodged in the building, but insisted that the attack
was targeted at its Senior Pastor, Prophet Temitope Joshua.

Thus, the official number of lives that perished in the five storey
building which collapsed at 12.44pm, is 80, while the survivors were
131, according to the National Emergency Management Authority.

This is just as SCOAN finally released an official statement
yesterday, maintaining that the tragedy occurred shortly after a
plane which flew very low, hovered round the building.

Indication also emerged that some o f the survivors have been
discharged from the hospitals and have returned to their respective
abodes.

It was learnt that DNA tests would first be conducted on some of the
decomposed bodies with a view to ascertaining their true identities.

Vanguard reliably gathered that there are plans to fly the remains of
foreign victims to their respective countries. As at yesterday,
arrangements on how this would be done was reportedly going on between
authorities of the countries concerned and SCOAN.

Among the countries is South Africa.

South Africa's High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni, was quoted
byAFPas saying that 17 of his compatriots were unaccounted for and
that the church had set up a hotline in Johannesburg for concerned
relatives.