Part of a stage built to receive Pope Francis at a stadium in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, collapsed on Monday night during a severe storm. According to Reuters, the accident occurred three days before the visit of the Pope, who is due to arrive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday afternoon and address youth and catechists at the Martyrs’ Stadium in Kinshasa on Thursday morning.
“It was the drywall construction and trim that has collapsed, but the podium is still in place and work is ongoing to get everything ready on time,” Kinshasa police chief Silvano Kasongo told Reuters.
Journalists were kept out of the stadium, and soldiers from the Republican Guard, an elite military unit tasked with protecting the Congolese president and government offices, kept outsiders out during renovations.
Interior Minister Daniel Acelo Okito visited the stadium on Monday and said he hoped the renovations would be completed in time for Thursday’s event.