At Least 10 Dead, 60 Injured After Church Collapses in Mexico

Facts

• A church roof in northern Mexico collapsed on Sunday, killing at least 10 people and injuring 60 others. On Monday, rescuers claimed that no further victims remained trapped in the debris, despite the ongoing hunt for survivors.¹
• One hundred people were in the church located in Ciudad Madero in the Tamaulipas state. Officials say that approximately 30 parishioners were trapped when the roof caved in, adding that searchers crawled under the roof slabs with dogs to help look for survivors.²
• Military personnel aided emergency services with rescue dogs, floodlights, and earthmoving equipment. However, Tamaulipas govenor Americo Villareal said ten had been confirmed dead, including five women, two men, and three children.³
• A state security spokesman said 23 of the 60 injured people remained hospitalized as of Monday, while two were in critical condition. The collapse occurred during a baptism — a four-month-old baby, three 5-year-olds, and two 9-year-olds were among the injured.⁴
• The office of Mexico's state security spokesperson stated that 'a structural failure' was probably to blame for the collapse. There were no indications of an explosion — the walls did not blow outward and photos showed the roof slab resting on top of pews.⁵
• The Santa Cruz church in Ciudad Madero is located near the port city of Tampico and 310 miles south of Brownsville, Texas. Although building collapses are common in Mexico during earthquakes, the National Seismological Service said that seismic activity at the time was not strong enough to make an impact.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²CBS, ³Abc news, ⁴Al Jazeera, ⁵Guardian and ⁶FOX News.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Los angeles times. Buildings in Mexico are fundamentally flawed — design failures and government corruption have claimed hundreds of lives over the past few decades. Structures throughout Mexico are susceptible to earthquakes, yet numerous studies have shown that Mexico doesn’t have adequate construction regulations. Addtionally, research shows that officials in various areas have turned a blind-eye in inspections for bribes. This latest incident is reflective of systemic failure.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The dialogue. Mexico actually has quite robust regulations and guidelines for construction, but unfortunately some very strong earthquakes have caused tragic building collapses and destruction. Of course, some buildings are poorly constructed, and there are some corrupt officials who ignored failed building inspections, but the existence of a few outliers isn’t indicative of a systemic problem.

Predictions