The roof of a church collapsed in northern Mexico during Sunday Mass, killing at least nine people and injuring around 50, authorities said as searchers sifted through the wreckage late into the night for survivors and other victims.
About 30 worshipers are believed to be trapped in the rubble when the roof collapsed, officials said. Searchers crawled under roof slabs and officers brought in dogs to help find possible survivors.
Tamaulipas state police said about 100 people were inside the church when the incident collapsed.
The state security spokesman’s office said late Sunday that nine people had been confirmed dead in the collapse, which it said was likely caused by “structural failure.”
Rescue workers search for survivors amid the debris after the roof of a church collapsed during Sunday Mass in Ciudad Madero, Mexico, on Oct. 1. 2023. AP
Tamaulipas state police said National Guard units, state police and the state civil defense office and the Red Cross were involved in the operation.
The Mexican Council of Bishops issued a statement saying that “we join in prayer for the tragic loss of life and those who were injured.”
Bishop José Armando Alvarez of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tampico said the roof collapsed as parishioners were receiving communion at the Santa Cruz church in the Gulf coast town of Ciudad Madero, next to the port city of Tampico.
The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tampico said the roof collapsed while parishioners were receiving communion in Ciudad Madero, Mexico, on Oct. 1. 2023. AP
The diocese later published a list of about 50 people who had been hospitalized as a result of the accident. They include a 4-month-old baby, three 5-year-olds and two 9-year-olds.
There was no immediate information on their condition.
The number of young victims – police officials said three of the dead were children – may be due to the fact that the baptism will take place in the church.
A church roof is seen after it collapsed on the pews of a church in Ciudad Madero, Mexico, on Oct. 1. 2023.AP
“We mourn the painful loss of those who were there celebrating the baptism of their children,” Alvarez wrote.
At the same time, there are signs of hope.
“From under the rubble, thanks to Divine Providence and the work of the rescue team, people have been pulled out alive!” The Diocese of Alvarez wrote in a statement posted on its social media account. “Let’s keep praying!”
About 100 people were inside the church at the time of the collapse, Tamaulipas state police said. AP
He also called on anyone with wood to donate to bring it to the church, apparently to prop up the roof while rescuers crawled inside.
Pictures published by local media show what appears to be a concrete and brick structure, with parts of the roof nearly falling to the ground.
Security camera footage from about a block away showed the unusual covered roof collapsing down.
There were about 50 people hospitalized as a result of the accident, including a 4-month-old baby, three 5-year-old children and two 9-year-old children. AP
The walls didn’t seem to be blown out, and there were no signs of explosions, or anything other than simple structural failure.
The roof appears to be made of relatively thin cast concrete, and photos distributed by state authorities show roof slabs resting on top of the pews in some parts of the church.
That leaves open the possibility of airspace for any survivors.
“Currently, the necessary work is being done to remove people who are still under the ruble,” Alvarez said in a recorded message. “Today we are going through a very difficult moment.”
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A video distributed by the state civil defense office shows the outer edge of the roof being supported by short wooden blocks.
It also shows the initial efforts to lift the collapsed part of the roof closer to the ground, in the middle of the church, with a crane.
But the office said efforts to lift part of the roof were abandoned because of the danger that part of the now-collapsing slab might fall again and endanger any survivors.
The video shows how officials have reverted to manual rescue efforts, apparently sending rescuers under the slab with wooden props or hydraulic jacks to reach those trapped beneath.
Specially trained dogs were also sent into the rubble to track down survivors.
The civil defense office said the dogs were initially invisible to detect signs of survivors, so an old method was implemented that had been used in past earthquakes: sending rescue teams into the rubble to scream and listen for signs of any response. .
Building collapses are common in Mexico during earthquakes, but the National Seismological Service has not reported any seismic activity strong enough to cause such damage at the time of the collapse.
There was also no immediate indication of an explosion.
Ciudad Madero is located about 310 miles south of Brownsville, Texas.
Tamaulipas is known for drug cartel violence, but Ciudad Madero is in the southern part of the state near the neighboring state of Veracruz and is less affected by that violence.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
