The collapsed church building
By Jon Egie
Three persona have been confirmed dead in the collapse of the Salvation Ministry Church building situated in Okpanam Road, Asaba.
A statement issued by the Delta State Police Command’s PPRO, Bright Edafe sought to clear the air on the number of casualties resulting from the collapse church building.
According to the statement, the three confirmed dead include two children and one woman.
The statement informed that at the end of rescue operation, 18 bodies were recovered out of which four persons have been discharged, eleven persons still receiving treatment and three confirmed dead.
The statement further debunked the claims from certain quarters that ten persons died from the Salvation Ministry Church building collapse, rather, only three persons; two children and a woman were recorded dead at the end of rescue operation.
Salvation Ministry Church building situated in Okpanam Road, Asaba collapsed about 1755hours during church service and uncertified reports had it that ten persons died from the collapse.
It was learnt that the one-storey building, which spans about ten years was initially designed as a plaza before the church bought it at the cost of N300 million, reconstructed it and was putting it to use for the first time before the collapse.
The Delta State Government has set in motion, machinery to investigate the gory incident.
Secretary to the State Government, Chief Patrick Ukah has expressed pessimism about the quality of reconstruction work being done on the building saying questions needed to be asked about the issuance of approval for the reconstruction work by the relevant and supervising authorities.
The investigation, he was quoted, would start from today, Wednesday, January 12.
Update (Today, Thursday, January 13)
The Police has yesterday evening reported that one among the surviving eleven casualties of the church building collapse has passed on raising the number of dead to four (two women, two children).
Meanwhile, Delta State Govt has constituted a panel of inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the building collapse, ascertain and identify the casualties, cross check existence of relevant legislations and scope of such legislations and to find out the level of compliance with such legislations, among other mandates.
The Secretary to the State Government, Chief Patrick Ukah inaugurated the panel yesterday.
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