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• Hospitals overflowing with dead bodies
• Whereabouts of injured commissioner unknown
Tears, sorrow and agony continued yesterday in Akwa Ibom State over the deaths recorded in the collapse auditorium of Reigners Bible Church International, Uyo.
Scores had died when the church building collapsed during the consecration of the founder of the church, Akan Weeks, as bishop on Saturday.
While unconfirmed report said more than 100 worshippers died, the police put the number of dead at 27.
This is coming at a time President Muhammadu Buhari, governors and other Nigerians have continued to express their condolences to the people and government of Akwa Ibom State.
Yesterday many families besieged hospitals where bodies of the dead were taken. It was gathered that the mortuaries were overflowing with bodies of the dead, even as officials refused to give details.
Some of those seen at the hospitals told Daily Sun that their relatives, who attended the programme at the collapsed church building, were missing and therefore, they came to check the mortuaries.
Some of them, who are members of the Reigners Bible Church, revealed that about 80 of their colleagues were still missing by yesterday.
An official of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital told our reporter that the hospital’s mortuary was filled. As a result of this, he said some corpses were taken to private mortuaries.
Also, it was gathered that people took the bodies of relatives to their homes because of the overcrowding of mortuaries.
Meanwhile, some of the injured state commissioners, who were at the church with Governor Udom Emmanuel, have not been seen since the accident.
Daily Sun inquiry about their whereabouts yielded no results, as members of their families refused to talk.
It was, however, gathered that some of the injured commissioners were receiving treatment in undisclosed hospitals in Uyo.
When our reporter visited the scene of the collapsed building yesterday, policemen had cordoned it off, while excavation was ongoing. Nobody, except security agents and members of the rescue teams, were allowed to go beyond the cordon.
Some of the survivors who spoke with Associated Press recounted their close shave with death.
According to Ukeme Eyibio, a computer analyst, “there were trapped bodies, parts of bodies, blood all over the place and people’s handbags and shoes scattered.”
The Associated Press report said Eyibio had parked his car outside the complex to make a phone call when he heard a deafening crash and saw that the church had disappeared.
Eyibo told the international wire service he and others dragged 10 injured people from the collapsed church, including a man whose legs were trapped under a girder.
He stated: “I rushed to my car, got out the tyre jack and used that to get the beam off his legs. We managed to get him out, but we saw others dying all around us. I’m so traumatis ved I could not sleep last night for the horrors repeating themselves in my mind.”
Meanwhile, Governor Emmanuel has declared a two-day mourning for victims of the collapsed church building.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Ekerete Udoh, said the governor also directed all flags to be hoist at half-mast within the state.
According to the statement: “The Government of Akwa Ibom State has declared Sunday, December 11 and Monday, December 12, 2016 as days of mourning in honour of the victims of the collapse of The Reigners’ Bible Church building in Uyo.
‘‘To this end, all flags will fly at half-mast within the state.
‘‘The two-day mourning period will be rounded off with a Solemn Assembly at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Uyo on Monday December 12, 2016 by 4.pm prompt.’’
The governor urged all citizens and friends of the state to continue to pray for the speedy recovery of those affected by the tragic incident.
