Date: 2012-04-08

No fewer than eight persons among them two children were feared dead following rainstorm that caused a pillar to collapse at an Easter retreat organized by the Deeper Life Bible Church in Ilorin, Kwara State. The incident occurred at the church's camp site located at Eyenkorin on the outskirts of the state capital in the early hours of Friday.

The storm had accompanied the first heavy rainfall in the Kwara state capital. The rain which lasted for about two hours began about 12.30 am. Although the state's police command spokesman, Dabo Ezekiel, confirmed the death of a pastor and claimed that several others only suffered injuries, independent investigation by our reporter confirmed that seven others died from the tragedy. Sources at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital confirmed that three of the victims were brought-in-dead (BID) along with one woman and two children.

A source who doesn't want to be identified said: Tthree of the victims were brought in dead apart from two children and a woman who were in critical condition". Two others died while receiving treatment, one of them inside the theatre, the source added. A victim's family claimed in a telephone chat with our reporter that the casualty figure had risen to seven as at yesterday afternoon, made up of five adults and two children. The source who was at the home of a parent to one of the children lamented the fate of the pastor, who had rallied round to help the injured.

No pastor from the church was available for comment at the time of filing this report. Newsmen were referred to a Wing Commander Cindar(rtd), said to be the Chief Security Officer of the camp. He confirmed the incident but denied that any life was lost. He said the victims were recuperating at the hospital.