Dozens of people were celebrating a baptism in a church in northeastern Mexico when the church’s roof collapsed. At least nine people died and 40 were injured.
At least nine people died when the roof of a church collapsed in northeastern Mexico. Another 40 people were injured when the roof of the Santa Cruz Church in the city of Ciudad Madero collapsed on Sunday (local time), security officials in the state of Tamaulipas said.
At the time of the accident, according to media reports, numerous people were celebrating a baptism in the church. Security forces, believers and residents could be seen on television trying to rescue survivors. According to local media, another 30 people were trapped under the rubble. According to authorities, soldiers, police officers, firefighters, rescue dogs and paramedics were involved in the rescue operation.
“We are living through a very difficult day. Work is currently underway to recover the survivors who were buried under the rubble,” said the Bishop of Tampico, José Armando Álvarez Cano, in a video message. “We are praying for them.”
Ciudad Madero has around 200,000 inhabitants. The city is on the Gulf of Mexico. (APA/dpa/AFP/Portal)