DecoolestNg

The remains of 74 South African na­tionals who died in the building collapse at the Synagogue Church of All Nations will be flown back to South Africa today. This was disclosed at a press conference held at Pro­tea Hotel Ikeja, Lagos yesterday evening.

While addressing jour­nalists at the conference, a minister in the South African Presidency, Jeff Radebe said arrangements had been con­cluded to repatriate the re­mains of the victims to South Africa, adding that the South African government was ready to support the families of the deceased in their griev­ing moments.

Radebe who expressed regrets over the incident, said it was disheartening that it took a long time for the identities of the victims to be ascertained as DNA tests had to be carried out.

He dispelled the fear that the development could strain the relationship be­tween both countries, stress­ing that Nigeria, being the largest economy in Africa and South Africa, being a strategic economy in the continent, needed to work together in actualizing the African dream.

Radebe who said his team met Nigerian government officials upon its arrival in the country, thanked the La­gos State Government and the health authorities in the state for their role in identi­fying the corpses.

Earlier, the bodies were seen being loaded into three refrigerated trucks, also known as mobile mortuar­ies. The bodies were moved from the Mainland Hospi­tal, Yaba and Isolo General Hospital, Isolo for onward journey to South Africa.

Chief Medical Examiner in charge, Prof. Oladapo Obafunwa, said no fewer than 80 bodies of victims from Nigeria, Togo and neighbouring countries were identified.

Obafunwa who is also a Professor of Forensic Pa­thology, Lagos State Uni­versity, College of Medi­cine, Ikeja said 74 of the identified victims were South Africans.

“We have been working from about midnight when the South Africans arrived and from the airport we came down to the hospital to look at the bodies that we have identified.

“So far, from Yaba mor­tuary, we have been able to identify 40 South Africans and the bodies have been ap­propriately labelled having identified them and moved into the refrigerated trucks.

“My other colleague led the team of South Africans to Isolo mortuary, where they have also loaded 26 identified South Africans,” he said.

As at the time this report was filed, Obafunwa said that if within one or two hours more, the laboratory issued all results, there was possibility some more vic­tims might be added.