BEIJING, Jul 16, 01 (CWNews.com) - The roof of a Protestant church in the southern Chinese town of Yuanjiang collapsed on Sunday as more than 130 people were inside, injuring 38.
Local officials in Hunan province said 29 of the injured suffered severe spinal injuries and were in critical condition. "More than 130 worshippers were trapped in the ruins when a main beam gave in and the roof fell on them on Sunday morning," a city official said.
The church was an officially sanctioned community, part of the state-controlled patriotic association. Local officials said there were more than 100,000 Protestants in the Yiyang region, which includes Yuanjiang and several other towns, out of a population of more than four million.
Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
16. juli 2001