Morgues 'overflowing with bodies' as the roof of a crowded church collapses in Nigeria killing at least 160
- Hundreds of people were inside the church on Saturday for a ceremony to ordain its founder as a bishop
- The church was reportedly still under construction and workers had been rushing to finish it in time for the ceremony
- An investigation will be conducted to see if building standards were compromised, the governor's spokesman says
- Dozens of people were also injured and the death toll is expected to rise
The roof of a crowded church in southern Nigeria has collapsed onto worshippers, killing at least 160 people, a hospital director said.
Morgues are overflowing and the final death toll will likely be much higher, Etete Peters of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital told the Associated Press.
Dozens of people were also injured in the collapse in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom state.
Youth leader Edikan Peters said many other victims are in private mortuaries scattered all over the city of Uyo.
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In this image taken from video people stand at the scene after the roof of The Reigners Bible Church International collapsed onto worshippers in Uyo, southern Nigeria on Saturday, killing dozens, witnesses and an official said
Rescuers carried the wounded and the dead from the church which was still being built
The Reigners Bible Church, pictured, was packed with worshipers when it collapsed
The Reigners Bible Church International was reportedly still under construction when it was crowded with worshippers to ordain founder Akan Weeks as a bishop on Saturday.
Workers had been rushing been rushing to finish it in time for the ceremony, witnesses said.
Hundreds of people, including Gov. Udom Emmanuel, were inside when metal girders crashed and the corrugated iron roof caved in, they said.
Gov Emmanuel and Weeks escaped unhurt, police spokeswoman Cordelia Nwawe said.
The church was reportedly still under construction when it collapsed. Workers had been rushing been rushing to finish it in time for the ceremony, witnesses said
Despite this, Gov Emmanuel told the Premium Times that the incident left him traumatised: 'I was present at the church during the incident and shared in the agony of the moment.'
The state government said it will investigate to see if building standards were compromised, said the governor's spokesman, Ekerete Udoh.
Buildings collapse often in Nigeria because of endemic corruption with contractors using sub-standard materials and bribing inspectors to ignore shoddy work or a lack of building permits.
In 2014, 116 people died when a multi-story building of the Synagogue Church of All Nations collapsed in Lagos. A coroner blamed structural faults.
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