One of the people who sustained injuries after a church ceiling collapsed on congregants at Fido Dido building in Kampala has died as the toll on Tuesday rose to two.
Lorita Blessy Asiimwe, a finalist at Uganda Christian University (UCU) is said to have died at Mulago national referral hospital where she and several others had been admitted following the accident.
“It is on a sad note that we announce the death of Asimwe Lorita Blessy, a final year student of Ba. Human Resource Management. She was one of the victims of the Fidodido building collapse yesterday. Lorita had gone for Lunch Hour Prayers and she was due to graduate in July, 2021,” the university tweeted on Tuesday.
Her death occurred hours after police on Monday said another woman only identified as Maama Naava, a resident of Nsambya in Kampala City had succumbed to injuries following the accident that left 18 others hospitalized.
It was mayhem, bleeding amid a cloud of dust as a ceiling collapsed on the congregants that humbled themselves before the Almighty Lord in the House of Rest on Kampala Road in Kampala City at around 12:40pm yesterday.
The members of the business community around that street called the police, but it took the force more than 30 minutes to arrive.
“We put the injured people on the street. The police ambulances were not arriving. A taxi operator saw the victims losing consciousness and stopped his colleague, who was driving a taxi. The taxi delivered them to medical centres,” a responder said.
Ms Veronica Namanda, a renowned artiste, was one of the congregants, who were in the auditorium. Her colleague Hannington Bugingo visited her in hospital, but said she was mentally affected by the incident and didn’t want to talk about it now.
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Police Fire officer Godfrey Okobo said they suspect the age of the ceiling, which had not being renovated for years, led to the collapse.
House of Rest neighbours said the worship team used to play loud music that could even penetrate through the sound proof materials in the auditorium.
Mr Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy spokesperson of Kampala Metropolitan Police, said they have summoned the landlord and the managers of House of Rest to record statements.
Mr Daniel Nuwabine, the spokesperson of Kampala Capital City Authority, said their actions will be determined by the police report.
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