Church roof collapse in Nigeria, 200 fear dead

At least 200 people were reportedly killed and several others injured after the roof of a crowded church building in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria collapsed, during a service on Saturday.

According to reports, the Reigners Bible Church International, was still under construction as construction workers were still rushing to finish it in time for Saturday’s ordination ceremony to ordain founder Akan Weeks as a bishop.

The director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Etete Peters, told journalists that up to 200 people had died in the tragic incident on Saturday.

However, the Akwa Ibom Medical Association placed the death figure much lower, at closer to 21.

But the exact number of fatalities is still unknown.

Hundreds of people, including the state governor, Udom Emmanuel and several local officials were in inside the building when the roof fell, as the governor managed to escaped without any injury.

Police at the scene of the incident

The church’s founder, who was to be ordained a bishop at the ceremony, was also uninjured.

The governor, Emmanuel tweeted that he personally supervised rescue operations at the scene of the tragedy and declared December 11 and 12 as days of mourning.

A spokesman for the governor, Ekerete Udoh, said the state would conduct an investigation into the collapse.

Local reports claim more than 60 people were killed in the incident, although no official death toll has yet been released.