20 perish as church collapses
Mar 08, 2006
At least 20 people were killed when a church building in Kalerwe, a city suburb, was brought down by yesterday evening’s downpour.
By Vision Reporter
At least 20 people were killed when a church building in Kalerwe, a city suburb, was brought down by yesterday evening’s downpour.
The tragedy triggered off a massive rescue operation at the scene in lower Nsooba zone, Lufula where the City of the Lord Church once stood but had been reduced to rubble.
The area is a wetland and at the time of the tragedy had been flooded. The church, which was registered in 2004, according to documents recovered by the Police, belonged to Pastor Godfrey Luwaga, who was reportedly not in the church at the time of the tragedy. He is said to be a candidate for the Kawempe LC3 council.
By press time, the rescue operation that brought together the Police, the Red Cross and area residents, was still going on. The death toll was expected to rise.
The tragedy struck just hours after two workers were buried alive by the foundation of a building at Tick Hotel, Kawempe. The church victims were among hundreds of mainly Christians attending a one-week conference. The unfinished building suddenly caved in, leaving the worshippers no time to flee to safety.
The number of people in the ill-fated building was swelled by people who moved in seeking shelter from the raging rain.
The conference had reportedly been convened by Pastor Nekemiah Bamutire of Mukono Christian Life Church.
“We are searching the debris to ensure that no one is still trapped in the rubble,†Police Chief Fire Officer Joseph Mugisa said.
Dozens of victims some critically injured were pulled out of the rubble and rushed to Mulago Hospital.
Relatives flooded the hospital. The Police moved in and sealed off the place to allow medical workers to attend to the victims.
Both the casualty Ward and Ward 3B were filled with casualities. The medical staff were overwhelmed, said Patrick Kabugo, the Kampala Uganda Red Cross coordinator who was part of the rescue team.
Miraculously, a three-year-old baby was recovered from the death cave alive and unscathed but it is believed that the mother could have been killed.
Pastor Francis Byaruhanga of the Christian Revival Church Kyebando, who was among the survivors, said there were over 700 people in the church the time of the tragedy.
Gloom and desperation enveloped the scene as rescuers using bare hands and a few pick axes cut through the rubble in the night using floodlights.
At least 20 people were killed when a church building in Kalerwe, a city suburb, was brought down by yesterday evening’s downpour.
The tragedy triggered off a massive rescue operation at the scene in lower Nsooba zone, Lufula where the City of the Lord Church once stood but had been reduced to rubble.
The area is a wetland and at the time of the tragedy had been flooded. The church, which was registered in 2004, according to documents recovered by the Police, belonged to Pastor Godfrey Luwaga, who was reportedly not in the church at the time of the tragedy. He is said to be a candidate for the Kawempe LC3 council.
By press time, the rescue operation that brought together the Police, the Red Cross and area residents, was still going on. The death toll was expected to rise.
The tragedy struck just hours after two workers were buried alive by the foundation of a building at Tick Hotel, Kawempe. The church victims were among hundreds of mainly Christians attending a one-week conference. The unfinished building suddenly caved in, leaving the worshippers no time to flee to safety.
The number of people in the ill-fated building was swelled by people who moved in seeking shelter from the raging rain.
The conference had reportedly been convened by Pastor Nekemiah Bamutire of Mukono Christian Life Church.
“We are searching the debris to ensure that no one is still trapped in the rubble,†Police Chief Fire Officer Joseph Mugisa said.
Dozens of victims some critically injured were pulled out of the rubble and rushed to Mulago Hospital.
Relatives flooded the hospital. The Police moved in and sealed off the place to allow medical workers to attend to the victims.
Both the casualty Ward and Ward 3B were filled with casualities. The medical staff were overwhelmed, said Patrick Kabugo, the Kampala Uganda Red Cross coordinator who was part of the rescue team.
Miraculously, a three-year-old baby was recovered from the death cave alive and unscathed but it is believed that the mother could have been killed.
Pastor Francis Byaruhanga of the Christian Revival Church Kyebando, who was among the survivors, said there were over 700 people in the church the time of the tragedy.
Gloom and desperation enveloped the scene as rescuers using bare hands and a few pick axes cut through the rubble in the night using floodlights.