On 10 December 2016, the roof of the Reigners Bible Church International, an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

congregation, collapsed in

Uyo Uyo is the capital city of Akwa Ibom in South South Nigeria. Ibibio is the language spoken in Uyo. It became the capital on September 23, 1987 when Akwa Ibom was created from the former Cross River State. According to the 2006 Nigerian Cens ...

, a city in

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, during the

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

of the local

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. At least 23 people are confirmed to have died in the disaster, with other reports stating numbers as high as 160. Thousands were present at the time of collapse, including government officials and

Akwa Ibom Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...

governor

Udom Gabriel Emmanuel Udom Gabriel Emmanuel (born 11 July 1966) is a Nigerian politician who is currently the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, in office since 29 May 2015. He contested for the office of governor in the April 2015 elections on the platform of People's ...

Collapse

At approximately 11 a.m., thirty minutes into the church's Saturday morning programme, the building's roof collapsed from the centre. The church had been under construction until shortly before the incident, with some reports stating that work was unfinished at the time of collapse. The construction had been rushed to prepare the church for the ordination of the local

. Different numbers of deaths have been reported. The

News Agency of Nigeria The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) is a news reporting agency owned and run by the Federal Government of Nigeria just like Nigerian Television Authority. NAN was formed in part to disseminate news easily across the country and to the internationa ...

reported that there were 60 victims, and a rescue official stated that 60 bodies had been retrieved. More than 100 bodies had been seen at the local morgue, and staff at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital reported that 160 people were killed.

References

{{coord missing, Nigeria 2016 in Nigeria Building collapses in 2016 December 2016 events in Nigeria Disasters in religious buildings and structures Uyo Building collapses in Nigeria 2016 disasters in Nigeria

Collapse

See also

References