At least 10 people were killed in Mexico after a church roof collapsed during a collective baptism mass Sunday, reports say.
The collapse occurred in Ciudad Madero in Mexico’s northeastern state of Tamaulipas and injured an additional 60 people, according to CBS News. A search for survivors was ongoing early Monday morning after it was believed 30 were trapped under rubble.
SHOCKING: Ten people, including two children, were killed and dozens more were injured when the roof of a Catholic Church in Tamaulipas, 🇲🇽Mexico, collapsed yesterday.pic.twitter.com/efGbPvm2pa
— Policy Scoop (@policyscoop) October 2, 2023
Over 100 people were celebrating a collective baptism mass at the Santa Cruz church when the roof collapsed and killed 10, The New York Times reported, citing the Diocese of Tampico. The death toll includes at least three children, according to the outlet. (RELATED: ‘Sound of Freedom’ Producer Eduardo Verastegui Announces He’s Running For President Of Mexico)
“We lament the painful loss of people who were there celebrating the baptism of their children,” Bishop José Armando Alvarez of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tampico said, per CBS.
The collapse was likely caused by a structural failure, the outlet reported, citing the state security spokesman’s office.
Video and photos of the aftermath appear to show a completely collapsed roof and large crowds gathering while rescue workers search the rubble for survivors.
#LoÚltimo 🔴 | Suman nueve muertos, tres de ellos niños, y más de 50 lesionados tras el colapso del techo de una iglesia en Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas.🔴🔔⛪ pic.twitter.com/m9bkS8On6R
— ZONA 3 (@zona3noticias) October 2, 2023
Rescuers initially used cranes to try and lift the concrete slabs of roof off of the wreckage, but stopped “because of the danger that a chunk of the now-crumbling slab might fall back and endanger any survivors,” CBS reported.