No fewer than five persons lost their lives,
while four others sustained serious injuries after a Cherubim and Seraphim
Church collapsed at Ija-Ugbo, Arogbo Ijaw town, in the Ese Odo Local Government
Area of Ondo State on Tuesday.
It was gathered that all the victims were women.
Among them was a pregnant woman.
The building was said to be under renovation when
it collapsed.
According to a witness, the five casualities had
left their homes for the construction site to fetch disused planks when the
incident happened.
He said the tragedy threw the community into
mourning.
The witness said, “This is the first time that
such a thing will happen in this community. It was caused by the inferior
materials used for the renovation of the church.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer,
Mr. Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident, describing it as sad and
unfortunate.
The PPRO identified the victims as Morenike
Bubuma, Margret Goloba, Mayama Goloba, Kowei Aboa and Dali Gunuboh, who was
pregnant.
Joseph explained that the victims were killed
while struggling for wood at the site.
He said, “A renovation was going on in one of the
churches in the area. The owners were trying to build a bigger church. While
trying to demolish the old one, the building collapsed just as people were
struggling for disused wood.
“Five people were killed on the spot, while four
others were seriously injured and rushed to a nearby hospital for medical
attention.”
He said the command had begun investigation into
the incident, while the corpses of the victims had been deposited in a morgue.
The Caretaker Chairman of the Ese Odo council
area, Mr. Bekewe Olowu, also confirmed the incident, saying it was “shocking
and devastating.”
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