Twenty-four hours after celebratory faith-based observances, collective funerals were conducted in the small Ethiopian community of Arerti for the 36 people fatally injured when temporary framework inside an Orthodox Christian church collapsed.
Hundreds mourners processed with caskets covered in colorful fabric into the compound of a nearby religious site while religious leaders performed funerary ceremonies following the catastrophe at the local church.
Included among the mourners was 22-year-old Fikre Tilahun, who explained that he had been bereaved of his mother in the tragedy.
"It's difficult to be separated from your mother, very difficult," he said.
Even though the church is currently under construction, people had assembled in the structure on Wednesday during the yearly Orthodox Christian observance of the religious figure.
Eyewitness Description of Incident
Eyewitness Gebreweld Tesfaye reported that a considerable group of congregants decided to climb onto the makeshift structure to observe a newly painted mural on the ceiling of the building when tragedy occurred.
"The access point was completely made of wood, and there were many people climbing upstairs at the time. As the worshippers were going, the framework collapsed, causing the collapse," the witness explained.
Additional observers said that chaos ensued, as people scattered in fear or attempted to rescue the lives of individuals pinned beneath the rubble.
Personal Loss
The young man explained that immediately after he heard of the incident, he rushed to the church, and then to a medical facility to look for his parent, but she was not at any location.
"My cousin contacted me later. And then I went to the medical center. She was present," he said.
His mother was among the thirty-six dead, with emergency services saying that the death toll could increase as a portion of the wounded, totaling approximately 200, were in serious condition. Some of them have been moved to Addis Ababa, approximately 70 km away, for medical care.
Leadership Response
The archbishop of the regional diocese, Megabi Hadis Nekatibeb, described the tragedy as "incredibly tragic and heart-breaking".
The bereaved son stated life would not be the same for him and his sibling without their parent.
"Our mother raised us by making and marketing local beverage," he explained.
The government offered its sympathies to the relatives of the victims, and stated that "safety must be emphasized" during all building projects.
Health and safety regulations are poorly implemented in Ethiopia and construction disasters are common.
