Mexico
Church roof falls on worshipers – at least ten dead
Rescue workers search for survivors amid rubble
© Jose Luis Tapia / El Sol de Tampico / AP
The roof of a church collapsed during a baptism ceremony in northeastern Mexico. At least ten people died in the rubble. The cause of the accident is unclear.
The body of a woman has yet to be recovered from the rubble, and there are most likely no other victims because all the missing people have been located, Villarreal added. A member of the Red Cross said that the rescuers’ work was over. According to authorities, around 80 people were celebrating a baptism in the church when the ceiling collapsed.
No known defects in the church
When asked about the cause of the collapse, Governor Villarreal said that, according to the parish priest, there were no defects in the 50-year-old industrial-style church. “We are living a very difficult moment,” said José Armando Álvarez, bishop of the diocese of Tampico, to which the church belongs, in a video distributed on online networks.
Footage released by television channel Milenio showed dozens of people trying to support part of the collapsed building. Others made their way through the rubble in search of survivors.
Ciudad Madero has around 200,000 inhabitants. The city lies on the Gulf of Mexico.