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9 Dead, 100 Injured
In Church Collapse In
Brazil
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9 Dead, 100 Injured
In Church Collapse In
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro - At
least nine people,
including a teenage
girl, died and 100 were
injured in the Sunday
evening collapse of the
main temple of Renascer
Church in Sao Paulo.
The collapse took place
shortly after the Sunday
service. At least 400
people were inside the
church at the time of
the accident, according
to the local Civil
Defense.
The fire department's
rescue team with
detection dogs worked
all night to rescue
people from the debris,
officials said. Eight of
the nine dead have
already been identified,
two of whom died on
Monday morning during
surgeries.
The injured, including
several children, were
taken to 17 hospitals in
the city. Many of them
had brain damage or had
to undergo amputation.
Six houses and buildings
near the church had to
be interdicted, as the
walls of the church are
still possible to
collapse, the local
Civil Defense said.
The causes of the
collapse are being
investigated. Geraldo
Tenuta Filho, head of
the Renascer Church,
said the building did
not have structural
problems, whose latest
renovation was made
three years ago.
The churchgoers,
however, said part of
the church's roof
collapsed last week, but
it was fixed so the
services were not
suspended. Some of them
said a strong wind was
felt right before the
roof started to
collapse. A noise of
explosion was heard at
the same time.
The church founders
Bishops Sonia and
Estevam Hernandez
released a statement
expressing their sorrow
over the incident,
saying they were in
mourning for the victims
and they believed there
was a "hidden purpose"
for the incident.
The Hernandezes are
currently living in the
United States. In 2007,
they were arrested for
trying to smuggle money
into the country. |
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