OSBC Osun State Broadcasting Corporation
Seven worshippers who were holding night vigil at the Apostolic Church, Station Area, opposite the General Post office, Ilorin, have been rescued alive by men of the Kwara State Fire Service when the church building collapsed on them.
It was said the building collapsed as a result of the heavy rain on Saturday.
However, the corpse of a young man was recovered from another building which collapsed in the Ita-Egba area in Ilorin during the rainfall which accompanied by windstorm.
Another person who was reportedly swept away by flood in the Oniyangi area had yet to be found.
The state fire service in a statement on Sunday by the head of Media and Publicity, Mr Hassan Adekunle, said the seven worshippers were rescued around 11.30pm on Saturday.
The statement reads partly, “Kwara State Fire Service has been attending to several rescue operations across the state since yesterday’s downpour.
“Part of this operation, was the rescue operation carried today opposite C&S Church Muritala Area, Ilorin, during which seven men were rescued well alive.”
The Saturday downpour, which lasted for more than five hours, wreaked havoc in Ilorin and other parts of the state as wind blew off rooftops of more than 300 buildings, uprooted electric poles and trees.
Areas badly affected by the storm included Gambari/Akerebiata/Sobi road, Okelele Amule, Oja-Iya, Adeta and Agbo-oba areas.
It was also gathered that schools in Oloje, Amule-Alabere community and the Magaji Are Healthcare centre were also affected by the windstorm.
Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said, “The governor is immediately setting up a special disaster response team to collate data of areas affected and determine how the state government can offer support based on available resources.”
