Church floor collapse kills 1, injures over 50 in Philippines

MANILA -- An 80-year-old woman died and over 50 people were injured after the wooden second floor of a Roman Catholic Church in Bulacan province, north of Manila, collapsed on Wednesday morning, officials said.

City Mayor Arthur Robes told reporters that the woman was critically injured and died at the hospital.

Gina Ayson, head of the San Jose del Monte City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said that the accident occurred around 7:20 am local time (2320 GMT on Tuesday) as Catholics packed the church to celebrate Ash Wednesday.

Ayson initially reported that only 34 people were injured, mostly suffering from bruises and shoulder pain. But after an assessment, the disaster-prevention office increased the number of injured people to more than 50.