At least seven people were killed and more than 50 were injured yesterday after the ceiling of an evangelical church in Sao Paulo, Brazil, collapsed.
Newspaper reports quoted fire officials as saying between 400 and 500 people had been worshipping at the Igreja Renascer em Cristo (Reborn in Christ Church) in Sao Paulo's southern district when the structure collapsed.
But the church said in a statement that only about 60 people had been inside, it was reported.
The cause of the collapse, which happened just before 7pm local time is unclear.
Witnesses said a strong wind had blown through the church then there was a bang and the ceiling collapsed.
"It was very quick. The ceiling started to fall as if it were dominoes. I was able to get out because I was next to the exit. I saw a lot of people stumbling over chairs," said one woman.
Famed Brazilian soccer player Kaka is a member of the Reborn in Christ Church and was married there in December 2005. The church can hold around 2,000 worshippers.
The Reborn in Christ Church is among the biggest of Brazil's hundreds of evangelical denominations that draw millions of worshippers each week.
It was founded in 1986 by Estevam and Sonia Hernandes, a couple who were arrested in Miami in 2007 for failing to declare a large sum of cash brought into the United States.
Reuters