Story highlights Reigners Bible Church collapses during a ceremony honoring the pastor

Governor calls for the arrest of the contractor handling the building project

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) Officials have opened an investigation into how a church in the Nigerian city of Uyo collapsed during services Saturday, killing at least 23 people.

Officials initially said as many as 50 worshipers could have been killed, but on Monday revised the death toll.

Rescue workers have recovered bodies and injured people from the rubble, said Aniekeme Finbarr, a media liaison for Gov. Udom Emmanuel of the state of Akwa Ibom.

"It happened all at once. The faithful had been singing and dancing. It sounded like rain and the roof caved in and it all happened very quickly," Finbarr said.

The governor himself was at the church when it collapsed and narrowly escaped injury.

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