At least nine dead in church roof collapse during church service in Mexico

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Ciudad Madero: Volunteers and rescue workers are looking for survivors

Photo: Alejando del Angel / AP

At least nine people have been killed in the collapse of a church roof during a church service in Mexico. Around 50 people were injured in the incident in the city of Ciudad Madero, the authorities in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas said on Sunday.

More people were still buried under the rubble of the church of Santa Cruz, it said. Local media put the number of missing at least 20. According to the reports, a baptism was being celebrated when the ceiling collapsed.

"We are experiencing a very difficult moment," said José Armando Álvarez, bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Tampico, to which the Church belongs, in a video message. "At the moment, the necessary work is being done to save the people who are still under the rubble," he added, without giving further details.

»Structural failure«

Footage published by the Milenio TV channel showed dozens of people trying to support part of the collapsed building. Others made their way through the rubble in search of survivors.

According to the authorities, soldiers, police officers, firefighters and paramedics were involved in the rescue operation. According to this, there were about a hundred people in the church at the time of the collapse. The accident was probably due to "a structural failure," it said.

Ciudad Madero has around 200,000 inhabitants. The city is located on the Gulf of Mexico.

wit/AFP/AP/Reuters