NEWS: 3 SA children among Nigeria building collapse

Johannesburg - Three South African children were among those who survived the building collapse at the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Nigeria, the government said on Sunday.

Acting cabinet spokesperson Pumla Williams said: "The inter-ministerial task team established to co-ordinate the government's response to the collapse of a building at the [church] ... would like to announce the evacuation of 26 injured South African citizens from Lagos to South Africa. Of the 26 patients, three are children."

Eighty-six people, among them 84 South Africans, were killed when a guesthouse belonging to the church collapsed on 12 September.

Williams said the country's military health service had sent a mass casualty aero-medical evacuation team to Lagos.

"Among them is an orthopaedic surgeon, Colonel Theo le Roux, an internationally recognised trauma surgeon; four aero-medical officers, as well as nursing officers who have specialised in aviation medicine and eight military paramedics," said Williams.

Visitors

The team would evacuate patients and assist the critically wounded as they embarked on a 10-hour flight back to South Africa.

"Extra measures were taken to provide care and comfort to injured children on board," said Williams.
The plane was expected to land at the Swartkop Air Force Base on Monday morning and ambulances would be waiting to transport the injured to the Steve Biko Hospital in Pretoria.

"All patients will be admitted to the Steve Biko Hospital where they will be assessed prior to being transferred to the hospital of their choice or discharged according to their condition," said Williams.
Her statement came following the return of the inter-ministerial task team which had been to Nigeria, led by Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe.

The government called on South Africans with relatives who were visiting the church and who had not yet heard from them to contact government officials.

Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse reported that the leader of the church, Prophet TB Joshua, on Sunday announced that he would be travelling to South Africa to meet the families of those who died at his church as well as the survivors of the incident.
-SAPA


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