The roof of an old church collapsed in Brazil, injuring 80 people.

At least 80 people were injured when the roof of a very old Catholic church collapsed during mass in the town of Montezuma in the interior of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Eight people in more serious condition remained hospitalized this Saturday in a hospital in the neighboring town of Janauba, while the remaining 72 people with minor injuries and abrasions were able to return to their homes after receiving medical care.

The collapse occurred in Igreja Matriz Santana e São Joaquim, one of the oldest in Montezuma, a city of less than seven thousand inhabitants 706 kilometers from Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais. Shortly before the start of the service, during which 70 children were to receive their first communion, the roof of the parish collapsed, and pieces of thick wood and large tiles began to fall on the believers.

The tragedy was no greater, because before the complete collapse, the old wooden beams holding up the roof began to crack, and many of the 300 believers who were in the Catholic church at that time fled to safety or managed to hide under the sturdy benches. from solid wood.

According to local firefighters, the accident occurred because all the very old wood that supported the roof was rotten, but no one noticed this because the temple was covered.

Images circulating on the Internet showed worshipers sitting on benches before the celebration began, and panic and confusion reigned at the site after the collapse began. The structure of the old historic church Igreja Matriz Santana e São Joaquim was not damaged, but the building will remain closed because it cannot accommodate worshipers without a roof and due to the heavy rains that have been felt in the city for several days.