At least two people died and twenty-two were injured when the roof of a Catholic shrine in Recife, in Brazil’s northeast, collapsed on Friday during the distribution of basic food baskets to the most vulnerable residents, according to state authorities in Pernambuco.
The accident occurred at the Morro da Conceição sanctuary in Recife’s northern district, as aid was being handed out to families facing hardship. Authorities noted that the incident took place during a relief effort aimed at supporting the city’s neediest residents.
Images captured from a helicopter broadcast by the Globo network showed that the metal roof, which had solar panels recently installed, gave way almost entirely, although the four walls of the church remained standing.
The deceased are identified as a 54-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman, according to Brazilian officials.
The mayor of Recife, João Campos, told reporters that most of the injured were lightly hurt. The twenty-two people wounded were taken to local clinics and hospitals, with some pulled from the rubble by passersby who happened to be in the area.
Nearly fifty police officers and firefighters were working to access the damaged area through the fallen metal roof, in the search for additional potential victims. A first assessment by police search dogs suggested there were no further fatalities. Forensic teams and Civil Defense technicians inspected the site to determine if the collapse could be linked to the recent solar panel installation on the church roof, according to Campos.
“This is a moment of profound sorrow for our city. We will do everything possible to ease that pain. The priority is to protect the lives of those affected,” the mayor said, announcing three days of official mourning in the city.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was in the northeastern state of Paraíba on Friday, extended his condolences to the victims via social media. He wrote that he learned with great sadness of the two deaths and the dozens of injuries, some in grave condition, at the Morro da Conceição sanctuary and offered solidarity to the victims, their families, friends, and Recife in this difficult moment.