4 still in critical condition after SJDM church mishap —CDRRMO

Four victims remained in critical condition following the collapse of a portion of the second floor of a church in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, on Ash Wednesday, a disaster official said Thursday.

City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) head Gina Ayson said one person was killed while 55 were hurt in accident at the St. Peter the Apostle Church.

Of the injured people, 51 have already returned to their homes safe.

“Sa ngayon po, apat pa po iyong binabantayan namin sa ospital (right now, we are monitoring four more at the hospital),” Ayson said when asked how many victims are still in critical condition.

Among the victims in critical condition are an 82-year-old suffering from multiple fractures, a 70-year-old with leg fracture, a 64-year-old experiencing hypertension, and a 49-year-old with a wrist fracture who needs surgery.

The fatality in the incident was earlier identified as 80-year-old Luneta Morales.

At around 7 a.m. on Wednesday, a portion of the church’s second floor that was made of wood collapsed as people lined up for the traditional mark on their foreheads for Ash Wednesday.

Church lector Lawrence Chua said that before the collapse, they heard a gunshot-like sound that was followed by screams of the churchgoers.

“May narinig po kasi kaming parang putok ng baril. Tapos, maya-maya, nagtilian na dito sa side na ito. Nandito po kasi ako sa harap, kitang-kita ko po talaga iyong pagbagsak at pagguho nung structure po. Tapos nagkagulo na,” he said in an interview on Unang Balita.

(We heard a sound like a gunshot. Then people started screaming on this side. Because I was here in front, I really saw the collapse. There was chaos.)

The local government ordered the temporary closure of the church pending the assessment of city engineering and building officials.

Ayson said the church had undergone renovation but the interior of the structure and its mezzanine are already old. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA Integrated News