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, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

congregation, collapsed in Uyo, a city in

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, during the

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

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

of the local

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

. 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 is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state takes its name from the Qua ...

governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel.

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

. Varying numbers of deaths were reported. The News Agency of Nigeria 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 160 killed.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=May 2025 2016 in Nigeria Building and structure collapses in 2016 December 2016 in Nigeria Collapses in churches Uyo Building and structure collapses in Nigeria 2016 disasters in Nigeria

Collapse

See also

References