Ethiopia church scaffolding collapse kills at least 36

Makeshift scaffolding set up at a church in Ethiopia has collapsed, killing at least 36 people and injuring 200, state media said.

The incident occurred at around 7:45 am local time (0445 GMT) in the town of Arerti, roughly 70 kilometres (43 miles) east of the capital Addis Ababa, when a group was visiting for an annual Virgin Mary festival.

Local official Atnafu Abate told the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) that some remained under the rubble without giving any further details about those trapped or possible rescue efforts.

Some of the more seriously hurt were taken to hospitals in the capital, he added.

Images shared on the ECB's official Facebook page showed a mess of collapsed wooden poles, with crowds gathering amid the dense debris.

Other pictures appeared to show the outside of the church, where scaffolding had been precariously constructed.

The sprawling country is a mosaic of 80 ethnic groups and is among the oldest Christian nations globally.

Its predecessor, the Axumite Empire, declared Christianity the state religion in the fourth century.

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Source: TRT