Mexico City, Oct 1 (EFE).- At least nine people were killed and about 50 injured on Sunday when a church collapsed during a baptism ceremony in Ciudad Madero, in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas.
Rescue personnel treat people injured by the collapse of the roof of a church in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on Oct. 1, 2023. EFE/STR
It is not known how many are trapped as rescuers scoured the rubble into the night.
The accident occurred around 3.30 pm (21:30 GMT) as families made up of people of all ages were gathered for the ceremony.
Security camera footage from across the street and published on social media shows the moment in which the church roof collapsed into the interior of the building.
The incident happened so suddenly that there was no time for parishioners to escape.
Civil Protection, Red Cross, the National Guard teams, as well as firefighters and others were working at the site late into the night as cranes removed debris.
For now, the cause of the accident is unknown.
Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal, wrote on X that he “deeply regrets” the incident.
“Security and civil protection corporations are already attending to the situation. In addition, I have asked the Secretary General of the Government, the State Coordinator of Civil Protection and the authorities of the Health sector to go to the scene of the events to coordinate the rescue maneuvers,” he wrote.
“Let us raise a prayer together for those who lost their lives, for the injured and their families. I hug you with my soul and know that we will be attentive to every step,” he later added from the scene. EFE
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