Four dead in Mexico as cathedral scaffolding collapses

A photo of the accident scene posted to Twitter. PHOTO: TWITTER

OAXACA, Mexico (AFP) - Four workers died and 19 were injured when the scaffolding of a cathedral under construction in southern Mexico collapsed, authorities said on Friday.

Authorities are investigating what caused the structure to fall on Thursday afternoon in the town of Tuxtepec, said Oaxaca state civil protection coordinator Felipe Reyna Romero.

Two of the dead were a father and a son who were found under the wood rubble, Reyna Romero told radio Imagen. One of the injured workers is in critical condition.

Six other people who had been reported missing were found.

Authorities initially said the roof had collapsed but Reyna Romero explained that the workers were affixing wood in the 25m-high dome when the scaffolding dropped.

Mexican media showed pictures of a giant pile of wood beams inside La Barca cathedral.

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