The roof of a church collapsed in northern Mexico during a Mass on Sunday, killing at least nine people and injuring around 50, authorities said as searchers probed in the wreckage late into the night looking for survivors and other victims.

Approximately 30 parishioners were believed to have be trapped in the rubble when the roof caved in, officials said. Searchers crawled under the roof slabs and officials brought in dogs to help search for possible survivors.

The Tamaulipas state police said about 100 people were in the church at the time of the collapse.

The state security spokesman's office said late Sunday that nine people had been confirmed dead from the collapse, which it described as likely being caused by “a structural failure.”

Bishop José Armando Alvarez of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tampico said the roof caved in while parishioners were receiving communion at the Santa Cruz church in the Gulf Coast city of Ciudad Madero, next to the port city of Tampico.

“From underneath the rubble, thanks to Divine Providence and the work of the rescue teams, people have been pulled out alive!” Alvarez’s diocese wrote in a statement posted on its social media accounts. “Let’s keep praying!” He also called on anyone who had wood to donate to bring it to the church, apparently to shore up the roof while rescue teams crawled inside.

Tamaulipas state police said units of the National Guard, the state police and state civil defence office and the Red Cross were at the scene seeking to rescue victims.

Photos published by local media showed what appeared to be a concrete and brick structure, with parts of the roof fallen almost to the ground.

The roof appeared to be made of poured concrete, and photos distributed by state authorities showed the massive roof resting on the top of pews in some parts of the church. That left open the possibility there were air spaces for any survivors.

“At this time, the necessary work is being performed to extract the people who are still under the rubble,” Alvarez said in a taped message. “Today we are living through a very difficult moment.” Building collapses are common in Mexico during earthquakes, but the National Seismological Service did not report any seismic activity strong enough to cause such damage at the time of the collapse. Nor was there any immediate indication of an explosion.

Ciudad Madero is about 500 km south of Brownsville, Texas. Tamaulipas is known for drug cartel violence, but Ciudad Madero is in the southern part of the state near neighbouring Veracruz state and has been less touched by the violence.

(Edited by : Priyanka Deshpande)

First Published:Oct 2, 2023 8:07 AM IST