In northern Mexico, a church’s roof collapsed, killing at least 10 people, three of whom were children.
The collapse happened on Sunday afternoon local time as around 100 people were attending a baptism at Santa Cruz church in Ciudad Madero.
There were 60 injured, at least two of them seriously, and dozens of people were trapped under the debris.
To try to rescue those trapped, neighborhood residents rushed to the building carrying shovels and pickaxes.
Two cranes are on the scene to clear the debris, and search and rescue teams have since arrived.
All those who were reported missing have been located, according to the governor of Tamaulipas. Rescue workers used thermal imaging cameras to ensure no one remained under the rubble.
Although the exact cause of the collapse is still unknown, Ciudad Madero’s mayor said that “structural failures” were likely to blame.
A day of celebration had become a tragedy, according to priest Ángel Vargas, who was officiating the baptisms at the time of the collapse.
“They came to search for heaven for the little ones and found eternity. I want the families to find peace. All of this is unfathomable.”
“People were lined up to take the communion – of course that’s sort of the climax of the Catholic Mass – and that’s when the roof came down on top of them; bricks, concrete, and of course steel support structures coming down on top of the people,” according to one local journalist.
A survivor posted a social media account detailing her experience.
According to Josefina Ramrez, the roof collapsed as she was attending her godchild’s baptism.
“Thank God, I’m alive (…) I feared I would not see my beautiful family again (…) I don’t know how we got out,” she wrote.
One of the trapped people reportedly managed to send a WhatsApp message, which enabled rescuers to find him, according to local media.
According to the Mexican newspaper Milenio, those who died included a toddler and a couple with their eight-year-old son.
The church’s location in the diocese of Tampico, where the bishop is in charge, said he was praying for the victims.
Source-BBC
