CHURCH BUILDING COLLAPSES, INJURES 21 CONGREGANTS

A UNITED Church of Zambia (UCZ) church building has collapsed in Milenge district injuring 21 people. The Kasepa congregation collapsed on during a church service today. Milenge District Administrative Officer (DAO) Kanonka Chola, who rushed to the scene, said the casualties included three babies and 18 adults. Mr. Chola said the casualties were rushed to East 7 clinic where some of them were referred to Milenge district hospital and are receiving medical attention. “The incident happened towards midday today. Some of the casualties had bruises while others had soft tissue injuries. They are all stable at the moment,” he said. UCZ Kasepa congregation Elder Kunda Mukosha explained that the walls of the building and the roof collapsed on the members of the church. Mr. Kunda recalled that congregants had to scamper out of the building. “The roof fell on us. We fought our way out of the building. We are lucky no death was recorded,” he said. Meanwhile, Mikula ward councillor Justine Chembo has urged the community to construct firm structures to avoid similar incidents. Mr. Chembo noted that most parts of Milenge are waterlogged hence builders should ensure they build structures that have strong foundations. “I am glad that no one died in this tragedy. It is unfortunate that this building had a poor foundation. We are urging the community to build strong structures to avoid endangering the lives of end users,” he said.