On Tuesday at least three people, including two children, were killed and another 18 people rescued when a church collapsed in southern Nigeria.
Building collapses are common in Nigeria, where millions live in dilapidated structures and construction standards are often flouted.
The church collapsed Tuesday evening in the Okpanam suburb of Asaba, the capital of Delta State, local police spokesperson Bright Edafe said.
Local media said the building came down as an evening service was being held.
Building standards have been in the spotlight since a high-rise building under construction collapsed in Lagos in November 2021, killing at least 45 people.
Bad workmanship, low-quality materials, and corruption to bypass official oversight are often blamed for Nigerian building disasters.
Since 2005, at least 152 buildings have collapsed in Lagos, a city of about 20 million people.
One of those incidents that sparked widespread anger was in 2014 when dozens of people died in a church collapse in Lagos. Self-proclaimed “prophet”, the controversial TB Joshua, was charged with the deaths of 116 when a multi-story guesthouse of the Synagogue Church of All Nations collapsed in Lagos.
Most victims were visiting South African followers of the church’s influential founder.
Two structural engineers, Joshua, and church trustees were accused of criminal negligence and involuntary manslaughter after a coroner found the building collapsed from structural failures caused by design and detailing errors.