Delta State Police Command on Wednesday said that a total of 18 persons were initially rescued from the debris of the collapsed portion of the Salvation Ministries building along Okpanam Road, in Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state.
The command said that only three persons died in the building that collapsed on Tuesday evening, contrary to reports that 10 persons died.
Bright Edafe, the command’s police public relations officer (PPRO), disclosed this in an update made available to BusinessDay in Asaba Wednesday morning,
He said, “Rescue Operation is over, 18 people rescued initially, four person’s discharged, 11 person’s still receiving treatment, three deaths recorded which includes two female children and one woman, their names unknown for now”.
He debunked the rumours making rounds that ten people died in the incident.
Patrick Ukah, the Secretary to the State Government (SS) had on Tuesday, said that by Wednesday, town planning and other government approving agencies would investigate the possible cause of the collapse, stressing that with the noticeable ongoing reconstruction in the building, there are a lot of questions to be answered, if indeed approval was given for the work.
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BusinessDay gathered that the building which is over 10 years was initially designed as a plaza before the church bought it at N300 million and that the one-story building was being reconstructed by the church without recourse to the original strength of the foundation of the structure.
One of the church members who simply identified herself as Grace said the service was ongoing Tuesday evening when the building collapsed with a thunderous noise.
”We were clapping and praying when suddenly we heard the cracking and the building swallowed the children section with the children.”
The incident occurred around 5.16 p.m. She said the church is currently observing its new year’s 21-days fasting/prayers but members of the church came to break the day’s fasting with a communion service.
It was learnt that men of the Delta State Emergency Management Agency, fire service, and the state police command formed the rescue team as trapped children were crying under the debris of the collapsed building.
The situation has thrown mourning in Okpanam and neighbouring towns since the incident occurred yesterday.
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