Toll rises to 60 after Nigeria church roof collapses

Lagos : Rescue workers in Nigeria hunted for survivors Sunday inside an evangelical church where the roof caved in on worshippers a day earlier, killing at least 60.

Emergency services in the remote southeastern city of Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom state, raised the toll to 60 "confirmed" dead.

Hospital sources said 200 others had been treated for injuries. 

The Reigners Bible Ministry was packed on late Saturday morning when the roof -- which was still under construction -- collapsed on the congregation.

The state-run Nigerian News Agency said "between 50 and 200" people could have died, but state police said it was too early for casualty tolls as rescue operations were still under way.

The incident took place at around 11:00 am, some 30 minutes into the service, a survivor told local media from his Ibom Specialist Hospital bed.

It "was about 11 am and 30 minutes into the programme. Suddenly, the roof from the middle fell on worshippers. The governor was quickly rescued. But others were not that lucky,” a survivor told local media from his Ibom Specialist Hospital bed. 

The governor of Akwa Ibom state, Emmanuel Udom, called for two days of mourning, saying on his Facebook page that "we have never had such a shocking incident in the history of our dear state." 

"Rescue team members are doing their best to rescue all the victims trapped at the collapsed building," said Akwa Ibom State police spokeswoman Cordelia Nwawe.

There was no definitive toll available yet on the accident in the extremely remote town of Uyo.

"I cannot confirm the number of casualties since rescue operations are still ongoing," said Akwa Ibom state police spokeswoman Nwawe.

"Security operatives have been drafted to maintain law and order at the scene and prevent hoodlums from cashing in on the situation," she added.

President Muhammadu Buhari expressed his condolences, expressing "the deep sorrow of his family, the government and the entire people of Nigeria over the many deaths and injury recorded following the incident," presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement. 

In September 2014, 116 people including 84 South Africans, were killed in Lagos in the collapse of a church belonging to the famous televangelist TB Joshua.

The inquest verdict attributed the collapse of the six-storey guesthouse to structural failures and said it did not have planning permission. But the criminal negligence trial of the preacher has still not taken place.

Nigeria is said by Gallup International to be the world's second most religious country.

The Mountain Of Fire and Miracles Ministry, one of the largest Pentecostal churches in Nigeria, has one of the largest church auditoriums in the world with a seating capacity of 500,000.