At least 13 worshippers were killed when a church in South Africa collapsed during an Easter service.
A wall came down at a Pentecostal church last night with 29 people rushed to hospital, six of whom were seriously injured.
A local police spokesperson linked the tragedy to heavy rainfall in the area around Empangeni, 105 miles north of Durban, on Thursday night.
Pictures of the scene on the emergency services' Twitter page showed bricks and piles of debris strewn across the church
floor, with pipes and pillars hanging from higher parts of the building.
Local reports said some people had been sleeping when the brick wall fell.
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The wall at the front of the Pentecostal Holiness Church collapsed at the start of what had been planned as a weekend-long service to commemorate the Christian festival of Easter.
On Friday, a special prayer service was held in a large tent in front of the church, reports the eNCA TV station.
The ANC and the DA both sent condolences following the tragedy.
The African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal said: "Our deepest condolences to the relatives of the 13 people who sadly lost their lives when the side wall of the Pentecostal church building...collapsed following heavy rainfall.
"We join hands alongside the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones at this poignant time of the Passover due to such a sudden and unexpected disaster.
"We join hands with them, acutely aware of the excruciating pain that they must be going through."
The DA’s Zwakele Mncwango also sent the party's condolences.
He said: "We are sad to learn that 13 congregants who were gathered for a Passover session on Thursday night lost their lives.
"We are further urging those who will be travelling to further away places for Good Friday service to be vigilant on the roads, ensuring a safe return to their respective homes."
