Mexico City [Mexico], October 3: At least 11 people died when a church roof collapsed in north-eastern Mexico on Sunday, officials said.
At least 60 people were injured, the Tamaulipas state security spokesman's office said.
Two people were seriously injured and a total of 23 wounded were treated in hospitals. Local media said people were celebrating a baptism at the Santa Cruz church in the city of Ciudad Madero when the roof collapsed.
Soldiers, police officers, firefighters and paramedics were involved in the rescue operation, while dogs were brought in late on Sunday to help search for survivors.
Photos from local media show a concrete and brick building with parts of the roof smashed on the ground.
Local bishop, Jose Armando Alvarez, asked people to pray for the survivors.
"We are experiencing a very difficult day. At the moment, work is under way to recover the survivors who were buried under the rubble," he said in a video message on Facebook. "We are praying for them."
Units from the National Guard, State Guard, Civil Protection and the Red Cross were assisting in the rescue operation.
Bishop Jose Armando Alvarez, from the diocese of Tampico, said the roof of the church collapsed while worshipers were taking communion, Reuters reported. He urged other members of the community to pray for survivors.
"In this moment the necessary work is being carried out to pull out the people who are still under the rubble," Bishop Armando said in a recorded message shared on social media, according to Reuters.
Building collapses are common in Mexico during earthquakes, but seismic activity was not reported by the National Seismological Service, strong enough at the time the church roof caved in. There were also no reports of explosion in the area.
Source: Qatar Tribune
