Church building collapses in Nigeria

St. Paul Catholic Church, in the Nigerian city of Adagbrassa, collapsed on Sunday September 3, midway through the worship service.

A 11-year-old boy died, several local media confirmed, and at least 11 were injured and brought to hospitals in the region.

At around 7 a.m., worshippers were waiting for the priest to commence mass, reported Nigerian news website Punch News. The walls of the church were almost 100 years old.

The government of the Delta State has opened an investigation. In a press release, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa said: “In an attempt to rebuild and expand the church, the old church building collapsed as a result of heavily soaked water occasioned by the weight of worshippers who leaned against the walls while the early morning mass was on. While we pledge to pay the cost of treatment of the injured, people must ensure they seek necessary approvals before construction of buildings, particularly public structures, to avoid incidents like this”.

“It is our prayer that the soul of the deceased will rest in peace, and that the injured will experience quick recovery”, the Governor added.

The collapse of church buildings in Nigeria is not new. A recent accident of this kind happened in 2016, when 27 died after the collapse of the metalic structure during the inauguration of a big Pentecostal church. In 2014, more than one hundred were killed in another church building.