1 DEAD, 55 HURT AFTER SECOND FLOOR OF CHURCH IN BULACAN COLLAPSES ON ASH WEDNESDAY

BY KEVIN GALANG

AN 80-year-old woman on Wednesday died while 55 other churchgoers were injured after a portion of a balcony on the second floor of a church collapsed during an Ash Wednesday Mass in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan.

A report to Police Regional Office 3 director Brig. Gen. Jose Hidalgo Jr. by the Bulacan police identified the fatality as Luneta Morales of B8, L3, Phase 1, Dela Costa III, San Jose del Monte City.

The incident happened past 7 a.m.  Wednesday while  mass goers at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Bgy.  Tungkong Mangga, San Jose del Monte City lined up for the traditional marking of ashes on their foreheads.

Witnesses said the right side portion of the balcony of the church, which is made of wood, suddenly collapsed.

Personnel of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), police and other agencies immediately responded.

City fire marshal Chief Insp. Arvin Mamangun deployed two firetrucks, along with eight men, to the area to assist other offices and the police in responding to the needs of the victims.

The injured churchgoers were brought to the Ospital ng Lungsod ng San Jose Del Monte, Tala Hospital, Brigino General Hospital and nearby Skyline and Grace Hospitals for treatment.

The elderly woman succumbed to cardiac arrest in the hospital.

The San Jose del Monte Public Information Office, in a Facebook post, said Mayor Arthur Robes directed that all injured churchgoers be brought immediately to medical centers for proper medical attention.

Robes also said the city government will cover the medical costs of those who sustained injuries.

Around 400 people were inside the church in observance of Ash Wednesday when the incident happened.