Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on October 4, 2014

Scene of the collapsed SCOAN building on Tuesday. | credits: Goke Famadewa

The Lagos State University Teaching Hospitals Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine where families of the Synagogue building collapses victims have been directed to give DNA samples has everything laid out to welcome the expected large number of families. But only a handful of them has showed up.

The departments preparation for a likelihood of being overwhelmed by expectant families was obvious when our correspondent visited as it had set up canopies and chairs as counselling station outside the building.

Our correspondent, who visited the hospital on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, saw none of the families come in. The canopies set up outside the department had remained unused ever since.

But an official told our correspondent that on Monday, which was the first day, that few of the families came to give samples. None of them included South Africans though.

The department had earlier announced that families could come in as from last Monday to give samples which would help identify their loved ones.

The Lagos States Chief Forensic Pathologist and Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Prof. John Obafunwa, could not answer questions on this issue on the phone.

Efforts to speak with him in his office also proved abortive as a result of his schedule.

Death toll in the September 12, 2014 collapse of a six-storey guest house at the Synagogue Church of All Nations was put at 115 with 84 of them being South Africans.

Rescue officials had said that the DNA tests would take at least two months.

Original post:

Synagogue: Families shun LASUTHs DNA sample centre

Category: Synagogue
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