Tragedy In Synagogue Church

A six-storey building belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Ikotun, Lagos, collapsed on Friday with no fewer than 50 persons feared dead.

The building, which was under construction, was initially a two-storey building before the addition of four new floors which were under construction.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the building, which housed guests and members of the church, already had so many people lodged in it before the incident.

The Synagogue Church of All Nations was founded by Prophet Temitope Joshua.

As at 3pm when PUNCH got to the scene, hundreds of people were seen, crying and wailing.

A 10-year-old child was among the dead and some foreigners were among the victims said to have been rescued alive. As of the time of going to press, several persons were still trapped in the collapsed building.

The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, who could not confirm the figure of the dead victims, said 15 bodies and 20 survivors were recovered from the debris. There were foreigners among the dead and those that were rescued but I didn’t count how many they were.”

An eyewitness, who insisted that up to 50 persons died in the incident, said he saw almost 10 ambulances loaded with bodies going to and fro, taking victims to nearby hospitals.

The collapsed building was said to have served as a guest house for church members, particularly foreigners attending the church.

PUNCH observed that only two floors were visible at the scene of the incident as the other three had sunk into the ground.

Journalists were barred from covering the incident by church members, who were trying to play down the incident. They also hampered rescue efforts as they attacked officials of the emergency services who were there to rescue victims.

May Their Souls RIP.