ADDID ABABA: Makeshift scaffolding set up at a church in Ethiopia collapsed Wednesday, killing at least 22 people and injuring 55, state media said.
The incident occurred at around 7:45 am in the town of Arerti, roughly 70 kilometers (43 miles) east of capital Addis Ababa, when a group was visiting for an annual Virgin Mary festival.
“Many pilgrims were killed or sustained physical injuries,” local official Atnafu Abate told the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), putting the toll at 22 dead and 55 wounded.
Some remained under the rubble, he said, without giving any further details about those trapped or possible rescue efforts.
Some of the more seriously hurt were taken to hospitals in the capital, he added.
Images shared on the ECB’s official Facebook page showed a mess of collapsed wooden poles, with crowds gathering amid the dense debris.
Other pictures appeared to show the outside of the church, where scaffolding had been precariously constructed.
Health and safety regulations are virtually non-existent in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation, and construction accidents are common.
The sprawling country is a mosaic of 80 ethnic groups and among the oldest Christian nations globally.
Its predecessor, the Axumite Empire, declared Christianity the state religion in the fourth century.
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22 killed in church scaffolding collapse in Ethiopia: state media
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22 killed in church scaffolding collapse in Ethiopia: state media
- The incident occurred at around 7:45 am in the town of Arerti
- “Many pilgrims were killed or sustained physical injuries,” local official Atnafu Abate told EBC
Hot winds fan dozens of bushfires across eastern Australia
SYDNEY: Dozens of bushfires burned along Australia’s eastern seaboard on Saturday, destroying several houses as a blistering heatwave set in.
More than 50 bushfires were burning in New South Wales on Saturday afternoon, the state’s Rural Fire Service said, although the vast majority were considered “under control.”
A blaze north of Sydney had destroyed six houses, national broadcaster ABC said, while a small number of homes were lost in a bushfire on the state’s mid-north coast.
One bushfire had burned through more than 9,000 hectares (20,000 acres) in the Goulburn River National Park.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore said hot and dry winds were fanning temperatures across the state nearing 40C.
“This is a dangerous few hours,” he said.
“Unfortunately this heat has been associated with hot and gusty winds as well, and that’s what really driving these dangerous and extreme fire dangers.”
Bushfires are a common occurrence in Australia’s summer months, and it is not unheard for dozens of blazes to burn through sparsely populated areas on hot and windy days.
More than 50 bushfires were burning in New South Wales on Saturday afternoon, the state’s Rural Fire Service said, although the vast majority were considered “under control.”
A blaze north of Sydney had destroyed six houses, national broadcaster ABC said, while a small number of homes were lost in a bushfire on the state’s mid-north coast.
One bushfire had burned through more than 9,000 hectares (20,000 acres) in the Goulburn River National Park.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore said hot and dry winds were fanning temperatures across the state nearing 40C.
“This is a dangerous few hours,” he said.
“Unfortunately this heat has been associated with hot and gusty winds as well, and that’s what really driving these dangerous and extreme fire dangers.”
Bushfires are a common occurrence in Australia’s summer months, and it is not unheard for dozens of blazes to burn through sparsely populated areas on hot and windy days.
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