No
fewer than seven persons, including a pregnant woman, were, on Wednesday,
pulled out of a collapsed wing of Makaval Hotel in Delta State.
The hotel, where
leaders of MercyLand Church usually lodge, is located off Refinery road,
Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.
The wing of the hotel
was said to have caved in at about 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday.
Rescuers of the
trapped victims were made up of members of Mercyland Church.
They were said to
have rushed to the scene after a bang and then the eventual collapse.
The victims, most of
whom are still in shock, as gathered, are in one Divine Grace Hospital for
medical attention.
Officials of the
hospital prevented journalists from accessing the victims.
They said they
were on admission and in critical condition as a result of injuries and shock
they had suffered during the collapse.
It was not
clear whether the pregnant woman lost her baby, but eyewitnesses said she was
heard crying for help until the rescuers got to her at about 10:00 a.m.
The pregnant woman,
who was handed over to her father identified as Gambia from Bayelsa, said she
had been in the hotel for a week on a miracle programme at the church.
A landlord around the
area, who witnessed the collapse of the building, Akpoguma Davis, told
journalists how the building went down.
He said"
"At about 3:00 a.m, my dogs were barking, so I came out not knowing they
were reacting to the noisy cracks from the first vibration.
"I took my torch
and went round wondering if there were robbers lurking around. After three
minutes, this whole wing of the building collapsed. About seven persons have
been rescued. I heard one woman shouting 'I am Mercy Land visitor, help me.' We
got her out after four hours."
One of the victims,
who escaped with slight injuries, Benjamin Hosu, who came from Lagos,
said; "I and a colleague came to town to execute a project yesterday. We
were lodged in the first floor. Around 3.10 a.m., we heard a noise and thought
they were armed robbers.
"Suddenly, our
room went down. Some rescuers came out with torchlights as we shouted for help.
They started breaking the walls until they got us out. We have been to the
hospital, checked and confirmed okay."
Another witness, who
spoke to Tribune Online, Ayo Ameye, disclosed that more persons were still
being trapped under the building.
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