Eight people have been reported dead and 27 others injured in two separate incidents in Kwara and Katsina States.

Our correspondent reports that five people, among them two children were said to have died during an Easter Retreat organised by the Deeper Life Bible Church in Ilorin, Kwara.

The incident reportedly occurred at the church’s Camp site located at Eyenkorin on the outskirts of the state capital in the early hours of Saturday.

Though officials of the church were not willing to comment on the incident, sources confirmed that the tragedy was caused by heavy rainstorm which caused a pillar at the camp to collapse on the worshippers.

The storm had accompanied the first heavy rainfall witnessed in Ilorin, this year. The rain which lasted for about two hours began at about 12.30 am.

Although the State Police Command’s spokesman, Dabo Ezekiel, an Assistant Superintendent of Police only confirmed the death of the pastor and claimed that several others only suffered injuries, other sources said seven people died from the rain-storms, besides the pastor.

Sources at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital confirmed that three of the victims were brought in dead, and that they included one woman and two children. The source, who asked not to be named, said: “three of the people were brought in dead, apart from two children and a woman who were in critical condition.”

Two others died while receiving treatment, one of them inside the theatre, the source added.

An eyewitness said one of the victims, a Pastor at the Church, who was on a motorcycle, died when he ran into an on coming vehicle while on his way to a hospital to donate blood to the victims.

The Police spokesman, Dabo Ezekiel confirmed the death of the pastor, while sources at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital said three of the victims were brought in dead while two other died while receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, two people had died, while 19 others sustained injuries in an auto accident which occurred at Bakin Dutse village in Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina state.

The Unit Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Funtua, Mr. Betara Umar, told newsmen that the incident occurred last Friday night.

Betara said the incident involved an articulated truck with registration number XB 535 FKA conveying passengers and goods, which lost control while avoiding another vehicle.

According to him, 45 passengers were in the vehicle that was travelling to Sokoto from Aba.

In a related development, armed robbers last Friday night killed one person and injured eight other people at Dayi village in Malumfashi Local Government Area of the state.

The robbers were said to have blocked the Malumfashi-Kano road and fired indiscriminately at oncoming vehicles.

A police patrol team immediately responded and dislodged the robbers before conveying the victims to Malumfashi Generla Hospital.

It was gathered that some of the victims who were in critical condition were referred to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika-Zaria.

Our correspondent who was at the General Hospital reports that most of the victims were on admission, including one who gave his name as Alhaji Suleiman Mamman of Tashar-Fulani Village in the area.

Effort to obtain reaction of the police on phone was unsuccessful, as the Police spokesman, Shehu Koko could not be reached.