BRAZIL: Death toll in Sao Paulo church collapse rises to nine

Record ID: 216274

  • Title: BRAZIL: Death toll in Sao Paulo church collapse rises to nine
  • Date: 20th January 2009
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (JANUARY 19, 2009) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF NEWSSTAND WITH NEWSPAPERS HANGING IN DISPLAY
  • Embargoed: 4th February 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVACRCJXMYV5IEDZ700H39DVF0GE
  • Story Text: Rescue teams search for survivors after roof of an evangelical church in Sao Paulo collapsed, killing at least nine and injuring 100 more.
    At least nine people were killed and more than 100 were injured on Sunday (January 18) after the ceiling of an evangelical church in Sao Paulo, Brazil's biggest city, collapsed.
    Rescue teams worked around the clock, sifting through a vast pile of rubble and broken rafters in search of survivors.
    According to fire officials, between 400 and 500 people had been worshiping at the Igreja Renascer em Cristo (Reborn in Christ Church) in Sao Paulo's southern district when the structure collapsed.
    The cause of the collapse, which happened just before the start of the second evening service, is still unclear.
    Witnesses reported that a strong wind blew through the church and a loud bang was heard before the ceiling caved in.
    Geraldo Tenuta, head of the Reborn in Christ Church, said they were investigating what caused the accident.
    "We still have no idea, there is a lot of speculation, but we still don't know what happened," he told reporters in a news conference.
    The Reborn in Christ Church is among the biggest of Brazil's hundreds of evangelical denominations that draw millions of worshipers each week.
    "This accident should have been avoided because the other day I passed by here and everything on top (looked instable) and my daughter even said that it would collapse one of these days," said an unidentified relative of an injured victim.
    A woman, whose daughter was still trapped inside the rubble, complained about the lack of assistance to the victim's relatives.
    "I still don't have any news and I want to know about my daughter," she said.
    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 worshipers.
    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.
    Brazilian media reported in October that the country's Supreme Court had suspended Brazil's request for the couple to be extradited from the United States. They are wanted in Brazil on money laundering charges.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register