Roof of a church collapses in northern Mexico, and Catholic officials say 49 injured, some dead
The Hindu
In Mexico, a church roof collapsed during Mass, trapping approx. 30 parishioners. Rescuers searched for survivors, using dogs and manual efforts. No info on casualties yet, but prayers are offered for those injured/lost. No seismic activity or explosion reported.
The roof of a church collapsed in northern Mexico during a Mass on Sunday, killing an undetermined number of people, injuring around 50 and leaving approximately 30 parishioners trapped in the rubble, authorities said.
Rescuers probed beneath the fallen roof into the night, and officials brought in dogs to help search for possible survivors.
The Tamaulipas state police said that about 100 people were in the church at the time of the collapse and that about 30 were thought to still be trapped.
Civil officials gave no information on any casualties. But the Mexican Council of Bishops issued a statement early in the evening saying that “we join in prayer at the tragic loss of life and those injured,” though it did not say how many had died.
Bishop José Armando Alvarez of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tampico said the roof caved in while parishioners were receiving communion at the Santa Cruz church in the Gulf coast city of Ciudad Madero, next to the port city of Tampico.
The diocese later posted a list of about 50 people who had been hospitalized as a result of the accident. They included a 4-month-old baby, three children 5-year-olds and two 9-year-olds. There was no immediate information on their conditions.
“From underneath the rubble, thanks to Divine Providence and the work of the rescue teams, people have been pulled out alive!” Alvarez’s diocese wrote in a statement posted on it social media accounts. “Let’s keep praying!”