At least 36 people died and 200 were injured as a consequence of the collapse of a makeshift scaffolding on a church in Ethiopia. The tragedy occurred on 1 October, during the service, and is reported by the French paper La Croix, citing Ethiopian media.
The collapse of the wooden scaffolding in the church in Areti, about 70 km from the capital of Addis Ababa occurred in the morning erstwhile a large group of faithful were in the temple. At least 36 people died and 200 were injured, however, as the local police chief Ahmed Gebeyeh emphasizes, this number may increase. The collapsed scaffolding for finishing work was constructed of thick wooden stakes.
The town of Areti is located in the Amhara region, the second most populous in Ethiopia. Most of the people of the region are Christians of the east rite, mainly the Ethiopian Orthodox Church of Tewahedo, which belongs to 1 in 3 inhabitants of the country. The Amhara region is constantly plagued by interior fighting, between national forces and rebels.
Source: KAI / Vatican News EN
