Five persons reportedly lost their lives on Tuesday when a Cherubim and Seraphim Church collapsed at Ija-Ugbo, Arogbo Ijaw town, in the Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The victims, who were all women with one of them pregnant, left their houses to collect disused planks from the church building which was under renovation.
The tragedy also left four other persons with serious injuries.
A witness who did not want to be mentioned 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.”
Mr. Femi Joseph, the state’s police spokesman confirmed the incident, describing it as sad and unfortunate.
Joseph gave the names of the victims as Morenike Bubuma, Margret Goloba, Mayama Goloba, Kowei Aboa, and Dali Gunuboh, who was pregnant.
He stated that the victims were killed while struggling for wood at the construction site.
Joseph 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.”
The police spokesman disclosed that investigation into the incident had already begun, adding that 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.”
