Mexico Church Mourns 10 Killed In Baptism Service
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MEXICO CITY (Worthy News) – At least 10 people, including three children, died after a church roof collapsed during a Baptism service in northeast Mexico, officials confirmed Monday.
The collapse happened Sunday afternoon local time, with about 100 people attending the baptism of children during Mass at the Roman Catholic Santa Cruz church in the coastal city of Ciudad Madero, according to authorities.
Besides those killed, some 60 people were reportedly injured in the tragedy.
Bishop Jose Armando Alvarez of Tampico Diocese said in a statement, “We lament the loss of lives of people who were celebrating the baptism of their children. Thanks to Divine Providence and the work of rescue teams, people have been pulled out alive.”
The priest of the church, Angel Vargas, who was holding the service when it happened, called the accident “unfathomable.” He noticed that victims “came to search for Heaven for their little ones.”
The Archdiocese of Mexico said: “We join in prayer with our sister Diocese of Tampico.”
UNSTABLE STRUCTURE
Dozens of people “held up the unstable structure with poles, while others risked their lives going into the rubble to search it,” noted Mexico-based reporter James Blears of Vatican Radio and the Vatican News service.
The roof, made from thin concrete, came down on the pews, and rescue workers said there were air pockets and spaces where at least “some people could survive. “
Not everyone was lucky, and officials said among those who died were five women, two men, and three children.
“Rescue teams consisted of State Police, local Police, the National Guard, Civil Defence, the Red Cross plus friends and neighbors of those trapped,” Blears added in comments monitored by Worthy News.
“Two cranes, thermal imaging, and hydraulic earth-moving equipment were used under arc lights through the night.”
Americo Villarreal, the governor of Mexico’s Tamaulipas State, where the accident occurred, said all known to be inside the church had been accounted for. However, the governor said operations had continued later “to ensure” that no other yet unknown persons were trapped beneath the rubble.
INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED
On Monday, an investigation was underway into the reasons for the roof collapse, which some linked to structural failure.
No earthquake was reported in Ciudad Madero or the neighboring larger port city of Tampico during Sunday’s tragedy.
It came while Mexico also mourned the loss of at least 10 Cuban migrants who reportedly died
when a cargo truck ferrying them had an accident in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas.
At least 17 others were seriously injured in the accident, Mexico’s migration institute said on Sunday.
Many migrants fleeing wars, persecution, or poverty risk their lives, often making dangerous journeys through Mexico to reach the wealthier United States.
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