ARERTI, ETHIOPIA — Mass funerals have been held in the Ethiopian town of Arerti for 36 people who died after scaffolding inside an Orthodox Christian church collapsed during a major religious festival.
The tragedy occurred at the St Mariam Church, which is currently under construction, a day after the annual celebration of St Mariam. Hundreds of mourners gathered, carrying coffins draped in colourful cloth for the burial rituals conducted by local clerics.
The disaster left approximately 200 people injured, some of whom are in critical condition and have been transferred to hospitals in the capital, Addis Ababa, about 70km (45 miles) away. Emergency services warned that the death toll could still rise.
Eyewitness Accounts
Eyewitnesses recounted the chaos that unfolded when the wooden structure gave way on Wednesday.
The church had been opened for worshippers during the religious celebration. According to Gebreweld Tesfaye, a number of congregants decided to climb onto the makeshift wooden scaffolding to get a closer view of a newly painted mural on the church ceiling when the structure collapsed.
“The staircase was entirely wooden, and there were many people moving upstairs at the time,” Mr. Gebreweld told the BBC. “As the congregants were going, the wooden structure gave way, leading to the collapse.”
Personal Tragedy
Among the mourners was 22-year-old Fikre Tilahun, who lost his mother in the tragedy.
Mr. Fikre described rushing to the church and then to the local health centre after hearing the news. He later had to go to the hospital after his cousin called, confirming his mother’s body was there. “It’s difficult to lose your mother, very difficult,” he said.
The archbishop of the local diocese, Megabi Hadis Nekatibeb, described the incident as “incredibly tragic and heart-breaking.”
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