At least two people died and 22 were injured when the roof of a Catholic shrine collapsed in the northeastern Brazilian city of Recife on Friday, official sources reported.
The accident occurred in the Morro da Conceição sanctuary, in the northern zone of Recife, while basic food baskets were being distributed to the most vulnerable population, according to the Pernambuco state government.
According to helicopter images broadcast by the Globo network, the metal roof of the church, on which solar panels had just been installed, collapsed almost completely, leaving the four walls of the building standing.
The victims are a 54-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman, according to Brazilian authorities.
Recife Mayor João Campos told reporters that “most of the injured are minors.”
The 22 injured were taken to outpatient clinics and hospitals in the area, some of which were pulled from the rubble by passing neighbours.
Around fifty police officers and firefighters are now working to search the metal roof for new victims, even though an initial inspection by sniffer dogs seems to indicate that there are no more deaths.
On the other hand, police experts and Civil Defense technicians inspected the scene to determine if the collapse “has a link with the recent installation of solar panels” on the roof of the church, according to Campos.
“This is a moment of great pain for our city. We are ready to alleviate all this pain. The absolute priority is to take care of the lives of the victims,” stressed the mayor, who decreed three days of official mourning in the city.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who carried out his program this Friday in the state of Paraíba, also in the northeast of the country, expressed his solidarity with the victims through social networks.
“It is with great sadness that I learned of the two deaths and dozens of injuries, some in serious condition, in the Morro da Conceição sanctuary. A tragedy. My solidarity with the victims, their families, friends and the city of Recife at this time,” said the president.
