Thirteen people were killed in a south-eastern province of South Africa during an Easter service after a church wall collapsed on them late on Thursday following days of heavy rains and strong winds, emergency services said on Friday.
At least 29 people with injuries ranging from serious to minor were taken to hospital for treatment, KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Robert McKenzie said.
"There was a strong storm at the time but we can't be totally sure why the wall collapsed until the police are done with their investigations," said McKenzie.
Pictures of the scene on the emergency services' Twitter page showed bricks and piles of debris strewn across the church floor, with pipes and pillars hanging from higher parts of the building.
The wall at the front of the Pentecostal Holiness Church collapsed at the start of what had been planned as a weekend-long service to commemorate the Christian festival of Easter.
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On Friday, a special prayer service was held in a large tent in front of the church.
President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the church last year and some of the congregants reportedly asked for his support to build a new church.
Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant is a member of the church and was planning to attend the Good Friday service there.
"Even at this difficult time, we still need to trust in God."
Local official Lennox Mabaso said the church "a solid structure".
"It is an act of nature. It is an act of God. Not even a president could have been able to save this particular situation," he said.
[BBC & Reuters]
