67 SOUTH AFRICANS DIED IN TB JOSHUA CHURCH BUILDING COLLAPSE Sixty-seven South Africans have been killed in a building collapse that occurred at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Nigeria, President Jacob Zuma said in a statement on Tuesday. Scores more sustained injuries when the multi-storey guesthouse belonging to the church collapsed on Friday. “This is a particularly difficult time for South Africa. Not in the recent history of our country have we had this large number of our people die in one incident outside the country,” said Zuma. “Our thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues that have lost their loved ones in this heart-breaking tragedy. “The whole nation shares the pain of the mothers, fathers, daughters and sons who have lost their loved ones. We are all in grief,” he said. On Tuesday evening, Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation tweeted that the government struggled to gather information earlier. Our team in #Nigeria not getting the cooperation they need. Verification very difficult. As Maharaj said “take figure of 67 with caution”. — Clayson Monyela (@ClaysonMonyela) September 16, 2014 Zuma said he had directed various government departments to ensure that relatives of the deceased were taken to Nigeria to identify their loved one’s bodies. Government wanted to ensure that the bodies were repatriated as soon as possible. Zuma thanked the families of the deceased and the Nigerian government for their co-operation with the South African government. He also extended his condolences to Nigeria and all other nations affected by this tragedy. “May the souls of the departed compatriots rest in peace,” he said. Nigerian preacher and televangelist TB Joshua on Sunday linked the deadly building collapse at his Lagos megachurch to a suspicious aircraft but rescue workers ruled out the theory of foul play, AFP reports. Joshua, dubbed “The Prophet” by fanatical followers because of his purported predictions and healing powers, showed footage of the moments leading up to the collapse on his emmanuel.tv network. Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said 42 people were killed in Friday’s incident, while 130 escaped or were pulled out alive from the rubble. In the security camera footage, apparently from opposite the vast church compound, what is described as an aircraft is seen over the building four times at 11.30am (1030 GMT), 11.43am, 11:45am and 11.54am. Source: mg.co.za/article/2014-09-16-zuma-67-south-africans-dead-in-nigeria-church-collapse
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 21:35:36 +0000
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