The roof of a church in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, collapsed on Sunday, killing 10 folks and injuring 60 others, authorities stated. One of many hospitalized victims, an 18 year-old girl, died on Monday morning.
The tragedy occurred within the mid-afternoon throughout Mass on the Santa Cruz church within the Unidad Nacional neighborhood of Ciudad Madero, a metropolis on the Gulf of Mexico in southern Tamaulipas.
Three youngsters had been amongst these killed when the roof caved in, trapping some 30 parishioners beneath rubble. Tamaulipas police stated that roughly 100 folks had been within the church, the place baptisms had been going down.
A structural failure is believed to have triggered the collapse of the roof, based on the workplace of the state safety spokesperson. Footage from a close-by safety digicam confirmed the gabled roof and at the least one wall of the brick church collapsing. The church was reportedly constructed about 50 years in the past.
The injured had been transferred to a number of native hospitals for therapy. Twenty-three folks remained in hospital early Monday morning, two of whom had critical accidents, authorities stated.
A four-month-old child, three youngsters aged 5 and two 9-year-olds had been among the many injured, based on an inventory posted on-line by the Ciudad Madero municipal authorities.
Residents, some armed with shovels and pickaxes, rushed to the help of these trapped beneath rubble and emergency companies personnel arrived on the church shortly after the roof collapsed. The newspaper Milenio reported an preliminary scene of “chaos” as a result of giant variety of folks attempting to assist.
Elements of the concrete roof slab got here to a relaxation on high of pews, a scenario which will have allowed areas of air the place some folks had been trapped.
Assisted by police canines and infrared cameras, the seek for victims and survivors continued into the night time till all of the lacking had been accounted for. The military, the navy, the Nationwide Guard, state police, the Crimson Cross and Civil Safety personnel all contributed to the efforts.
Tampico Bishop José Armando Álvarez Cano mourned “the painful loss” of parishioners celebrating the baptism of their youngsters.
“We pray to the Lord for his or her everlasting relaxation and the consolation of their households. We stay in prayer for the short restoration of the individuals who have been rescued,” the bishop stated in an announcement.
Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villareal arrived on the church on Sunday night time and advised reporters that he was shocked and saddened by the tragedy. He stated the reason for the roof collapse can be decided by consultants.
Villareal stated he had spoken to the church’s priest and was knowledgeable that the roof was waterproofed some years in the past, however no different work had been carried out.
The governor stated that the households of the deceased may depend on the “unconditional” help of the state authorities.
Ángel Vargas, the priest officiating the Mass, stated that the tragedy was “unfathomable.”
“They got here to hunt heaven for the little ones and located eternity. What I would like is for the households to be at peace,” he stated.
With studies from Milenio, El Common and AP