ADDIS ABABA — The scaffolding supporting a church under construction in Ethiopia’s Amhara region collapsed, killing at least 36 people and injuring scores of others, the Associated Press reported.

The accident happened Wednesday morning at Menjar Shenkora Arerti Mariam Church in Amhara, northern Ethiopia, as worshippers gathered for an annual event celebrating St. Mary.

Many worshippers had climbed up the wooden scaffolding to see a ceiling mural when the support structure collapsed, according to witnesses.

“We all had gathered in prayers when all of a sudden the scaffolding collapsed and people starting falling from the ceiling,” witness Mikias Mebratu, who lost three of his friends, said at the scene.

Seyoum Altaye, a clinician with a local hospital, said the victims include children and elderly people. “So far we have confirmed 25 dead and over a hundred injured,” he said.

He said the hospital is seeking help from the Red Cross to care for the injured.

Teshale Tilahun, the local administrator, warned that the death toll could potentially rise. “It is a tragic loss for the community,” he said.

Images shared on social media showed tangled 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.

Health and safety regulations are virtually non-existent in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation, and construction accidents are common. — Agencies