Tragic Scaffolding Collapse Claims Lives in Ethiopian Church

Fri Oct 10 2025 14:32:52 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A religious celebration turns to sorrow in Ethiopia as scaffolding collapses in an Orthodox church, resulting in 36 fatalities and numerous injuries.

In the aftermath of a tragic scaffolding collapse during a religious celebration at St. Mariam Church in Arerti, Ethiopia, 36 lives have been claimed, with many more injured. Eyewitness accounts reveal a scene of chaos as congregants attempted to view a newly painted mural, leading to disaster. Family members mourn their losses as investigations aim to address safety concerns in construction practices.

A day after the joyous celebration of a religious festival, mass funerals were held in the small Ethiopian town of Arerti for the 36 people killed when scaffolding inside an Orthodox Christian church collapsed.

Hundreds of mourners walked with coffins draped in colourful cloth into the compound of a nearby church while clerics conducted burial rituals following the disaster at the St Mariam Church.

Among them was 22-year-old Fikre Tilahun, who told the BBC that he had lost his mother in the tragedy. It's difficult to lose your mother, very difficult, he said.

Although the church is still under construction, people had gathered in the building on Wednesday during the annual Orthodox Christian celebration of St Mariam.

Eyewitness Gebreweld Tesfaye told the BBC that a sizeable number of the worshippers decided to climb onto the makeshift scaffolding to view a newly painted mural on the church ceiling when disaster struck.

The staircase was entirely wooden, and there were many people moving upstairs at the time. As the congregants were going, the wooden structure gave way, leading to the collapse, Mr. Gebreweld said.

Other eyewitnesses said that chaos ensued, as people scattered in panic or tried to save the lives of those trapped beneath the rubble.

Mr Fikre told the BBC that as soon as he heard of the disaster, he rushed to the church, and then to a health centre to look for his mother, but she was not at either place. My cousin called me after that. And then I went to the hospital. Her body was there, Mr Fikre said.

She was among the 36 dead, with emergency services indicating that the death toll could rise as some of the approximately 200 injured were in critical condition. Some have been transferred to Addis Ababa, about 70 km (45 miles) away, for treatment.

The archbishop of the local diocese, Megabi Hadis Nekatibeb, described the disaster as incredibly tragic and heart-breaking.

Mr Fikre stated that life would not be the same for him and his younger brother without their mother, who supported them by making and selling tella, a locally brewed liquor.

The government has expressed condolences to the victims' relatives, stressing that safety must be prioritized in construction projects. Unfortunately, poor enforcement of health and safety regulations in Ethiopia makes construction disasters a frequent occurrence.