Disaster in busy shopping mall: ceiling collapses, burying many people underneath
Trujillo (Peru) - A tragic incident has shaken Peru. A shopping center in the city of Trujilo has collapsed, burying numerous people underneath it. At least four people lost their lives and 79 were injured, some of them seriously.
On Friday evening, disaster struck Trujillo, Peru's third largest city.
According to the newspaper La Republica, numerous people were in the food court area of the "Real Plaza" shopping center, sitting comfortably eating and waiting at the stalls. But at 8.41 pm (local time), the roof structure of the food court suddenly collapsed. Dozens of people were buried under the rubble, some were literally crushed.
The authorities in the Andean state have so far confirmed four deaths and 79 injuries. An eight-year-old girl is also among the dead.
Shopping mall in Trujillo collapses: Mourning in Peru
After the accident, panic spread through the busy shopping center, reports the local portal N60 Trujillo. Many people rushed outside, while others desperately tried to rescue those trapped. The rescue services were on the scene with a large contingent.
Footage taken shortly after the devastating incident shows dramatic scenes. The children's ball pool was buried under the rubble. Rescue workers try to pull out a trapped boy. "We've put a cannula in him, if we can't get him out we'll have to amputate," a spokesman for the authorities told La Republica during the rescue work.
Meanwhile, a large crowd gathered outside the shopping center, fearing that relatives were among the victims. Gawkers also joined in and hindered the rescue work, local media reported.
According to the authorities, all those trapped have now been freed from the rubble. Eleven people are still in mortal danger. The death toll could rise.