(Mexico City) At least seven people were killed and ten others injured in Mexico on Sunday when the roof of a church collapsed during mass in the city of Ciudad Madero, in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas. announced the local government.
“Seven people are confirmed dead and ten injured have been rescued,” the state government security spokesperson said in a statement, indicating that searches were underway to rescue the trapped people.
Tamaulipas state police said about 100 people were in the church at the time of the collapse.
Bishop José Armando Alvarez of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tampico said the roof collapsed while parishioners were receiving communion at Santa Cruz Church in the Gulf Coast town of Ciudad Madero , next to the port city of Tampico.
Tamaulipas state police said units from the National Guard, state police and state civil defense office, as well as the Red Cross, were at the scene to try to save possible victims.
Photos published by local media show what appears to be a concrete and brick structure, with parts of the roof fallen almost to the ground.
The roof appears to be made of poured concrete, and photos distributed by state authorities show the massive roof resting on top of pews in parts of the church. It is therefore not excluded that there are air spaces for survivors.
“At this time, the necessary work is being carried out to extract the people who are still under the rubble,” Bishop Alvarez said in a recorded message. “Today we are going through a very difficult moment. »
Building collapses are common in Mexico during earthquakes, but the national seismological service has not reported 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 approximately 300 miles south of Brownsville, Texas. The state of 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 has been less affected by violence.