One died, 41 injured as church collapses in Zambia on New Year Day

LUSAKA, Zambia:

At least one person died while 41 others sustained injuries when a church they were worshipping in collapsed on them in the Zambian capital Lusaka, the Zambia Daily Mail reported on Tuesday.

The deceased died on the spot while others sustained varying degrees of injuries, with one critically injured when the unfinished church building's roof curved in on them. Mwenya Mulenga, a public relations officer at a local hospital where the injured were rushed confirmed that the hospital received 41 injured people and one person who was already dead. "We received 41 in total and 33 have been seen and discharged. We have admitted eight, six females and two males. One of the female is very critical. She is in the main ICU (Intensive Care Unit)," he was quoted as saying by the paper.

According to church members, the incident happened around 10 a. m. when iron rods installed recently started collapsing. "We were in the church during the New Year's Day service and just when the preaching began, it was as if someone had thrown a stone on the roof and all the iron rods started falling on us. Those who were close to the door were not very hurt but for people like me who were in front, we sustained serious injuries," Thelma Kangwa, one of the injured people admitted, was quoted as saying by the paper.

This is the second incident of a church collapsing on worshippers in Zambia following a similar incident in November 2011 when one person died after a strong wind ripped off the roof of a church during a service. After that incident, the local authority warned people against using unfinished building because it was against the law. The country's Public Health Act requires that if people want to use an unfinished building, they should obtain a partial occupation certificate.