08/31/2024 – 9:44
The collapse of the roof of the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Sanctuary, in the northern part of Recife, caused the death of two people and left more than 20 injured on the afternoon of this Friday, the 30th. Those who were at the site and survived the collapse of the structure live with feelings of relief for being alive, sadness for the death of acquaintances and indignation for the circumstances of the tragedy.
A Civil Police investigation has already been opened to determine the causes of the accident and the city hall, which announced three days of mourning due to the incident, states that all survivors were treated and taken to hospitals in the region.
Car washer Fábio da Silva Barros, 39, suffered bruises from the fall of the sanctuary’s roof. With bruises on his face, in addition to back pain, he told State What happened to the episode? He says he went to church with some family members to “pick up groceries” in place of his wife, who was busy at the time. He sat down with his mother and cousin at the entrance to the sanctuary and, shortly after, heard what he called a “crack.”
“As soon as I entered the church, I sat down, and my cousin said: ‘The church is falling down’. Then there was a bang. When I raised my head, the entire roof was falling down”, describes Fábio.
Before he could escape, he was hit by part of the roof, which left him injured. His mother, however, was trapped under the rubble and he had to go back to help her.
“I managed to get out, but an iron bar fell on my side, and it cut me like this (pointing to the nose area) and my mother was left down there. So I went back to get my mother,” said the survivor, who still had bruises on his face and indicated that he felt pain throughout his body. “She was trapped under (the rubble), and I was lifting iron. That’s why I have this pain in my back.”
Fábio received medical attention from SAMU and was discharged shortly after. His mother had to be hospitalized because she fractured her arm. The washer’s cousin and an aunt, who was also at the church at the time of the accident, were also released by rescue teams.
The municipal administration reported that 24 people were treated at three Emergency Care Units (UPA), 12 of whom were treated at three UPA units managed by the Manoel da Silva Almeida Foundation/Maria Lucinda Hospital; five at the Torrões UPA; three at the Nova Descoberta UPA; and four at the Caxangá UPA. Four of these victims were taken to hospitals in the region.
After the scare, Fábio said he felt sad and hurt by what happened. He said he knew other people who were also injured and even one of the fatal victims. “We are all from the same community. Everyone knows each other. I knew the boy who died,” he said.
Also outraged, Fábio remembers that the sanctuary had even more people the day before and that the tragedy could have been even worse in terms of fatalities.
“A structure that should always be under inspection and maintenance, how can something like this happen to a church? Yesterday (Thursday) it was even fuller, there were more than 300 people. Imagine if it were yesterday, what that situation would be like?”
Newly installed solar panels to be investigated
Less than a week ago, the Archdiocesan Sanctuary of Our Lady of Conception inaugurated the installation of solar panels, as part of a campaign by the church to make the place more sustainable in terms of energy consumption. There is no confirmation that the presence of the panels contributed to the cause of the accident, but the installation of the panels will be part of the investigation, said Mayor João Campos (PSB) this afternoon.
“Now is the time for the technical team to be able to make this assessment (of the cause of the accident), both from the Criminalistics Institute and from Civil Defense, which has a specific area for this. The technicians are in the area to be able to make the assessment, to be able to identify what actually happened, whether or not there is any connection with the recent installation of solar panels, if there were any other structural measures that were taken,” said the mayor at the site of the collapse.
The company Sun Brasil, which carries out the installation of photovoltaic systems, declared in a note on social media that the “institution is already working hard to clarify the circumstances and reasons for the accident”, and stated that “the church had an authorizing structural report”.
The company also said that “on this date (Friday, 30th) the weather forecast” indicated “excessive wind force”, and something that would be, according to Sun Brasil, “outside reality”. The report sought to contact Sun Brasil by phone, messaging app and email, but had not received a response by the time this text was published.
The report was unable to consult those responsible for the sanctuary on the subject this evening.
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