A fatal collapse of an incomplete church building at Kalerwe near Kampala yesterday left at least twenty-four people dead. Twenty died on the spot and another four shortly after admission at Mulago, hospital authorities said. Seventy injured were still undergoing treatment last night.The Monitor reported Thursday.
The victims were attending a conference of born-again pastors at Pastor Godfrey’s Luwagga’s City of the Lord Church, located in Lower Nsooba Zone on Gayaza Road.
According to witnesses , two pick up trucks rushed the dead and injured to Mulago Hospital. Witnesses said pastor Luwagga was not at the church at the time the accident occurred.
Mean while, a rescuer said they loaded two pick up trucks, one carrying 18 bodies and another with nine. The exact number of dead could not be obtained by press time. The building collapsed after a heavy downpour that engulfed Kampala yesterday. A visiting pastor from Kawempe, whose name could not be readily obtained, was among those feared dead.
The Chief Fire Officer, Mr Joseph Mugisa, who was at the scene said about 20 people died but he was not sure of the number of the injured.
“The structure was weak and it collapsed due to heavy rain and poor construction materials, ” Mugisa said.
“I am surprised about KCC’s negligence in identifying such structures. This is the third church that has collapsed since 1997 under similar circumstances. One was in Wakaliga in 1997 and another in Salaama in 2000”.
At least nine adults and six children were rescued including a six month-old child.