At least 160 worshippers killed in Nigeria after church roof collapses

At least 160 people were killed after the roof of a church in the city of Uyo in southern Nigeria collapsed onto the worshippers on Saturday.

The congregants of Reigners Bible Church International said that the church was still under construction, and the workers were rushing to finish the building in time for the ordination of its founder, Akan Weeks, as a bishop.

Akwa Ibom state governor Udom Emmanuel was among the worshippers when the metal girders crashed and the corrugated iron roof caved in. Emmanuel and Weeks were unhurt in the incident, according to The National.

Computer program analyst Ukeme Eyibio was outside the complex to make a phone call when he heard a loud explosion, which he thought was a bomb. He rushed to the scene only to find that the church had disappeared.

"There were trapped bodies, parts of bodies, blood all over the place and people's handbags and shoes scattered," said Eyibio.

He and three others dragged 10 wounded people from an overflow area outside of the collapsed church, but they were not able to enter the main structure because they were warned of another collapse that might happen.

Many victims were taken to private mortuaries scattered across Uyo, said youth leader Edikan Peters. Some people were secretly taking bodies of their relatives to their homes because mortuaries were overcrowded, and some have no refrigeration. He had counted 90 bodies before he was told to stop on Saturday night.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his condolences to the victims of the tragedy.

"Any tragedy that affects any part of Nigeria affects all of us. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the people of Akwa Ibom," he wrote on Twitter.

Ekerete Udoh, a spokesman for the governor, has announced that the government will launch an inquiry to investigate whether anyone compromised building standards.

Building collapses are not uncommon in Nigeria, mainly because contractors often use substandard materials and bribe inspectors to ignore violations of building regulations.

In 2014, 116 people died after a church building belonging to a prominent pastor named T.B. Joshua collapsed in Lagos. Officials said that the building lacked proper permits, and the structure was found to be unstable but Joshua has denied any wrongdoing. The pastor has not been charged for the incident, but the engineers face criminal charges.