On Sunday, October 1, during a mass in Ciudad Madero, Northern Mexico, a church roof collapsed, resulting in eleven fatalities and approximately 50 injuries. The incident occurred in the Santa Cruz church, a structure with a roof made of thin poured concrete, which fell nearly to the ground.
Preliminary assessments suggest that the collapse of the roof was not due to an explosion but was most likely caused by structural failure. At the time of the incident, the church housed about 100 parishioners, many of whom were young attendees. It is believed that baptisms were scheduled that day, which might explain the higher number of young victims.
Among the fatalities were three children. The exact reason behind the structural failure is still under investigation. However, security camera footage from a nearby location captured the gabled roof collapsing inward, indicating structural issues rather than external forces such as an explosion.
A combined effort from the National Guard, state police, state civil defense office, and the Red Cross worked through the night, carrying out search and rescue operations. Bishop José Armando Alvarez of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tampico stressed that the collapse of the roof occurred as parishioners were receiving communion.
Bishop Alvarez appealed to the community in response to the incident, requesting wood donations to temporarily brace sections of the collapsed roof. This would ensure the safety of rescue teams who are navigating the precarious wreckage. Images circulating in local media demonstrate the severity of the collapse, with the concrete roof lying perilously low, nearly touching the ground in some areas.
These images also revealed potential air pockets in the rubble, hinting at the possibility of survivors trapped in those spaces. Despite the structural challenges, the dedication of the rescue teams to finding potential survivors remains unwavering.