Tag: Synagogue
-
Photo: Police dog on search and rescue at Synagogue building site
Police sniffer dogs performing search and rescue at the Synagogue collapse site -
Synagogue Church update: 60 dead, 131 alive – NAMA
Eight more bodies were recovered overnight at the site of the collapsed building in the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NAMA).
Three others were found on Tuesday morning.
Rescue workers also said a woman walked out of the rubble at about 2.am on Tuesday.
According to emergency workers, the woman whose name was not given, came out of the restaurant and only sustained injury on her waist.
Police dogs were brought to the site on Tuesday morning to continue search for other victims
More details later.
-
Synagogue building update: Death toll now 49
Rescue workers on Monday continued the search for more victims of the collapsed building in the premises of the Synagogue Church last Friday with the the death toll rising to 49.
Four more dead bodies were brought out of the rubble of the building on Monday.
Details later.
-
Synagogue death toll hits 45
Fashola calls for inquiry
NAMA probes mystery aircraft
Joshua shows ‘video’
Rescuers were still busy yesterday at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Ikotun on the outskirts of Lagos where a building collapsed, killing 45 persons —as of yesterday.
When the incident happened on Friday, 17 were said to have died.
Many are believed to be trapped underneath the six-storey building.
The church has declined comments on the number of persons in the building when it collapsed. Besides, it insists that nobody died in the incident.
Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola was at the scene yesterday. He called for an inquiry.
Government officials have said there was no approval for the erection of additional floors.
Commissioner for Physical Planning Olutoyin Ayinde, who was on Fashola’s entourage, said the church’s engineers were yet to present their permit to make such modifications.
Ayinde said: “Our meeting with the prophet was a closed-door meeting but it surrounds the collapsed building. It is a sad situation; lives have been lost and many others have been rescued.
“We use this opportunity to express our sympathy to the affected people.
“We have no proof that the church had permit to add to the existing structure. We have asked the engineering team to meet us and for about two hours now, no member of the team has come.
“We also have questions for them. Even if the building does not have approval, it ought to be built professionally. We have asked for their team and we hope in the course of the week, they would get to us.
“It is necessary to take the final inventory before we can say the number of people affected. Right now, we do not know how many people are involved. When a final inventory has been taken, the ministry of special duties will take a decision as regards relieve,” he added.
On whether the ýgovernment plans to seal the premises, Ayinde said: “There are no plans for that yet until investigation as to the cause of the collapse has been concluded.
“I have said I have no proof of a permit. Maybe they have one and are yet to show us. We will give them the opportunity to defend themselves and action can only be taken after investigation has been concluded.”
But the General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Mrs. Abimbola Animashaun, affirmed that the church had no approval.
She said: “We have investigated and found that they had no approval for the additional structures. Even the main church, which they have added about three floors on, was sealed two days ago, but it is now open.
”You cannot have an existing building and start putting up more buildings on it. Before you can do anything like that, you must confirm that the structure is still stable and can stand additional buildings.”
The Nation gathered that the collapsed building, which was a three-storey that had another three added to it, had been vibrating for sometime before it collapsed.
It was also gathered that over 200 people were in the building, most of them having lunch at the basement, while the construction workers were on the sixth floor.
There were many foreigners, according to sources.
Mattresses, clothes and other household items, including air-conditionersý, were seen lying in the rubble of the building. Besides, a foul odour oozed out of the site.
Fumigants were being distributed to the workers.
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Red Cross, medical personnel from the state and federal governments and Lagos State Building Inspection Agency personnel were all at the site as excavation continued.
The workers were on the sixth floor, cutting the rods to create an opening to into other floors.
The Nation gathered that all the 130 people rescued alive and the 45 dead were removed from the sixth floor and the basement, which are the only areas the workers have been able to access.
It was also observed that most of the pillars of the collapsed building were still standing.
Confirming the death toll, NEMA’s Southwest spokesman, Ibrahim Farinloye, said the cause of the collpase was still being investigated.
“We were able to work overnight and so, as at now (6pm), we have 130 rescued alive and 45 dead. Nobody can say what caused the collapse. But from the footage shown to me, where all the foundation of the building was shaking before it caved in, it could have been caused by the additional structure.
“Investigations will confirm what really happened. You can see that some of the beams and blocks are still intact. So, some of the permutations cannot be ruled out.
“We are working on worst case scenario that the foundation might have been weakened, which would have led to the collapse.”
-
Tracing victims of Synagogue building collapse
There are the victims of the collapsed Synagogue Church building being treated?
These were the questions unanswered last night.
There were 130 people rescued from under the rubble as at 7pm yesterday, but our reporter could not trace where they were being treated.
Those evacuated on Friday and Saturday were taken to the Igando General Hospital and the Isolo General Hospital.
But by yesterday, no victim of the collapsed building was at any of the hospital.
They were said to have been taken to private hospital.
Many of those asked in the church declined to give information.
At the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) only one patient, a two year-old, was admitted at the Surgical Emergency Unit.
A security official in the unit said the ward received the child last Friday.
He said there is the possibility of some victims being admitted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
“But at the moment only a child of about two years was referred to the unit here,” he said.
-
Photos: Fashola, Joshua at collapsed Synagogue building site
Governor Raji Fashola and Prophet T.B Joshua at the site of the collapsed building in Synagogue church 
Governor Raji Fashola visits collapsed site in Synagogue church 
Rubble of the collapsed building at Synagogue Church -
Synagogue building update: 44 dead, 130 alive-NEMA
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed 44 persons dead in the building that collapsed in the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations last Friday.
The agency in its latest update on the incident said 130 people were rescued alive.
Excavation is on at the site to recover more bodies that might be buried under building.
It was gathered that most of the occupants of the premises were having lunch at the basement of the collapsed building before the incident happened.
Governor Babatunde Fashola has already ordered security agencies to arrest anyone obstructing rescue work, including Church members at the site.
-
Collapse building: Joshua alleges attack on Church
Head of The Synagogue Church of All Nations, Prophet T B Joshua, has alleged that the collapse of a section of the church complex last Friday may have been caused by an attack on the Church.
According to him, the collapse goes beyond the allegation of structural defects, as have been variously speculated.
Speaking to journalists after a CCTV footage of events leading to the building collapse was shown to journalists at the church premises on Saturday, Prophet Joshua said a plane, which eyewitness swore was a military jet, had earlier began circling around his prayer ground, where he usually retreats to for spiritual upliftment a few distance from the church location as early as 10.00am.
Not paying much attention to it, he said he left the site and headed for the church complex to freshen up, only to be notified that the plane had also stopped circulating and headed towards the location of the church.
Not long after, he said he also got a security report from his officials that a plane was sited hovering over one of the buildings in the complex.
He said the plane circulated four times before the building suddenly collapsed at exactly 12.44 pm.
The video footage actually showed the plane hovering above the five-storey building said to be an accommodation facility, first at 11.30, and then four times within three minutes.
The plane then came back again circled the building again and left. At exactly 12.44 when it looked like it was all over, the building suddenly came down, collapsing all at once.
According to some officials of the church and eye-witnesses, the building collapse looked very much like chemicalised demolition and may yet be a new dimension in the terror onslaught in the country.
Apologising for the hostile treatment said to have been meted out to the media on the day of the incident by church members and security operatives attached to the church, Prophet Joshua said he did not make any official statement Friday because he did not want to create any panic or an impression that terrorists have invaded Lagos.
He also said that the video footage was there to corroborate his point, while also declaring that if indeed it was a terrorist attack, the perpetrators are not likely to stop with Friday’s incident.
Asked to comment on the number of casualties, the prophet simply said ‘rescue mission was still ongoing.’
One of the church officials, who craved anonymity however told this reporter that nearly all the people in the building have been pulled out and that “miraculously, nearly all survived”.
One of the NEMA official on site was however overheard saying that about 17 deaths have been recorded, with about 119 injured.
-
15 feared dead, several others injured…as Synagogue Church’s six-storey building collapses
The popular Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN),Ikotun,Lagos was all sorrow yesterday.
A guest house under construction for foreign visitors at the church,led by Pastor Temitope Joshua, unexpectedly collapsed on workers and worshippers.
About 15 people were feared dead although there were conflicting reports on the exact casualty figure.
While the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed six deaths,eye witnesses said they saw up to 15 bodies pulled out of the rubble by rescue workers and taken away in ambulances.
Many others were injured.
An unknown number of people remained trapped under the rubble last night.
However,the church authorities categorically denied any death in the incident.
Its media team said: “Nobody died in the incident,and no one is trapped.”
But it said some people were injured and were being treated in undisclosed hospitals.
They said the church would give a detailed account of the incident later, and asked the press to discountenance internet reports on the accident.
Eye witnessed said three children escaped from the collapsed building unhurt
It was in the process of being raised from two floors to six when it gave way.
It was not immediately clear what could have caused the accident.
The incident happened at about 1pm.
Security personnel and emergency management officials rushed to the scene moments after the news of the disaster broke.
They barricaded the premises and prevented reporters and photographers who also stormed the premises from recording the tragedy for history .
A police corporal even shot into the air when the surging crowd queried them for disallowing journalists from going in.
Hoodlums and some overzealous members of the church soon turned on the emergency management officials, stopping them from performing their duties.
The hoodlums harassed and assaulted hoodlums, almost sparking violence..
Spokesmen for NEMA and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) LASEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye and Keyinde Adebayo respectively decried the hostility they faced from the church members.
They stated that most people were still trapped in the building but that rescue officials were being assaulted.
Farinloye said:”The collapsed building in Synagogue was a five-storey building which was two initially.
“The additional three were being constructed when it collapsed around 1:00 pm “The church members have been very aggressive and tried attacking emergency responders.
“Before emergency responders arrival, about 15 people were said to have being rescued alive and three dead.
“We have rescued three more alive and three dead. Many are said to trapped still.”
A military helicopter was sighted hovering over the area.
Some members of the church blamed the tragedy on ‘enemies’ who purportedly planted bomb on the premises.
They openly rained curses on such ‘enemies’.
One of them who simply gave her name as Kate, said: “What has T.B Joshua done to warrant this? This is the third time they have tried to bomb the church.
“On two occasions, they intended bombing this place but God exposed them. Now, they came because they knew that our father(T.B Joshua ) was not around and succeeded in blowing the place up.
“God will definitely judge them. Why is it that people do not like good things? If anybody is sick and comes here, he will be healed, if one has no money and comes here, he will be given some money to establish himself.
“Even the barren that came here ended up being parents. So, what will they say he has done??”
The Lagos State Police Command, however, dismissed the insinuation.
The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO),Ngozi Braide told The Nation last night that “there was no bomb in the Synagogue incident.”
She added: “If it was a bomb,there would have been an explosion,but the building which was under construction,just came down,no noise,no explosion.”
Super Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi was sighted at the church as he was beng led into his car by security men.
Hoodlums rushed at him apparently to extort money from him but his driver was quick to leave the scene.
Scores of tippers were driving into the premises to start clearing the debris.
-
Synagogue update: Two storey was being raised to five-NEMA
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has given more insights on the building that collapsed in the premises of the Synagogue Church in Lagos on Friday.
According to NEMA spokesman, Ibrahim Farinloye, the building was originally two story raised to five.
“ The additional three was being constructed when it collapsed around 1p.m Friday afternoon.
“ The church members have been very aggressive and tried attacking emergency responders.
“ Before emergency responders arrival, about 15 are said to have being rescued alive and three dead.
“ Rescues have rescued three and three dead.
“ Many are said to trapped still.” Farinloye stated in an sms message.