Synagogue collapse: Final victims report ready in 2 weeks

John Obafunwa, a professor and consultant pathologist on Tuesday said that the final report and identification of the victims of the September 12 building collapse at the Synagogue Church of All Nations would be completed in the next two weeks.

Obafunwa, who is the chief medical examiner of Lagos state, disclosed this while presenting a preliminary report to a coroner’s inquest set up to investigate the cause of the building collapse.

The inquest, which is being presided over by Oyetade Komolafe, was instituted by the Lagos state government.

Obafunwa said that autopsies conducted on the bodies revealed that the victims died as a result of crush injuries also known as “traumatic rhabdomyolysis”.

Putting the number of casualties at 116, he said that 46 of the bodies were deposited at the Isolo General Hospital mortuary, 63 at the Mainland General Hospital mortuary in Yaba, and six at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) morgue at Ikeja.

He added that the number of bodies deposited in LASUTH increased to seven following the death of one of the victims rushed to the hospital.

“Some of the bodies were at the decomposing stage and mutilated, severely crushed, suffered  multiple injuries, fractured bones, fractured limbs as well as skull injuries,” NAN quoted the pathologist as saying.

Obafunwa said that a team of forensic pathologists and dental surgeons conducted various tests including DNA test and dental analysis on the bodies for the purpose of identification.

“At this moment, we are putting together the autopsy report, the dental report, the photographs; we will be including the microscopic findings on the autopsy report,” he added.

He said that the team was waiting for the report of finger printing, DNA analysis as well as the list of lodgers it had requested from the church before finalising its job.

Obafunwa assured Anthony Van Der Byl, a South African and husband of one of the victims, that the body of his wife, Louise, would be released at the completion of the report.

“We are working closely with the South African Department of Health,” the pathologist said.

“They are assisting us with reference samples and I know that we are moving closer to the end of the process.”

Confirming the development, Louis Mnguni, the South African ambassador to Nigeria, told the court that the samples were still being analysed at the laboratory in Cape Town, South Africa.

Also testifying, Oladotun Lasoju of the Lagos state ministry of works said that the ministry’s team of engineers had conducted tests on the materials used in constructing the building.

“We visited the site as part of the rudiments in the investigation,” Lasoju said.

“I want to assure the court that the Lagos state material testing laboratory is working assiduously, and I believe the result will be out in a maximum period of three weeks.”

The court continues hearing on October 29.