At least 9 folks – together with three youngsters – have been killed and dozens stay trapped after the roof of a church got here crashing down throughout Sunday mass in northern Mexico.
Officials stated 40 folks had been injured and brought to hospital for remedy – together with a four-month-old child, three five-year-olds and two nine-year-olds – whereas 30 different worshippers stay unaccounted for.
The state safety spokesman’s workplace stated the collapse of the roof was seemingly attributable to “a structural failure”.
Units of the nationwide guard, state police, state civil defence workplace and Red Cross are on the scene.
Rescuers have been working by the night time to dig out survivors believed to be underneath the rubble.
Bishop Jose Armando Alvarez stated the roof collapsed whereas parishioners had been receiving communion on the Santa Cruz church within the Gulf coast metropolis of Ciudad Madero, subsequent to the port metropolis of Tampico.
He additionally referred to as on anybody who had wooden to donate to carry it to the church, to shore up the roof whereas rescue groups trawled the ruins.
Specially skilled canine have additionally been despatched into the rubble to seek out survivors.
“At this time, the necessary work is being performed to extract the people who are still under the rubble,” he stated.
“Today we are living through a very difficult moment.”
An announcement from the Diocese of Tampico on social media stated: “From underneath the rubble, thanks to Divine Providence and the work of the rescue teams, people have been pulled out alive! Let’s keep praying!”
Police stated the variety of younger victims could have been as a result of the truth that baptisms had been as a result of happen on the church.
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“We join in prayer at the tragic loss of life and those injured,” the Mexican Council of Bishops stated in a press release.
Building collapses are widespread in Mexico throughout earthquakes, however the National Seismological Service didn’t report any seismic exercise sturdy sufficient to trigger such injury on the time of the collapse. There was additionally no indication of an explosion.
Source: information.sky.com”