Tragic Scaffolding Collapse Claims Lives in Ethiopian Church

Tue Oct 21 2025 03:27:41 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A scaffolding collapse during a religious celebration in Ethiopia has resulted in the tragic deaths of 36 people, with many more injured. Eyewitness accounts describe the moments leading up to the disaster.

In a catastrophic incident in Arerti, Ethiopia, scaffolding collapsed in St Mariam Church as congregants gathered to admire a mural. The tragedy occurred during a religious celebration, leading to 36 known deaths and many injuries. Families mourn their losses as the community comes together for mass funerals.

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 during the annual Orthodox Christian celebration of St Mariam.

Eyewitness Gebreweld Tesfaye told the BBC that many 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 described the chaos that ensued as people scattered in panic or tried to save those trapped beneath the rubble.

Mr Fikre stated that upon hearing of the disaster, he rushed to the church and then to a health centre to look for his mother, but she was not found at either place. It was only later that he learned her body was at the hospital.

She was among the 36 dead, while the emergency services warn that the death toll could rise as many of the approximately 200 injured are in critical condition and some have been transferred to Addis Ababa for treatment.

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

Mr Fikre reflected on the profound impact of this loss, stating, Life will not be the same for me and my younger brother without our mother. He added that she supported the family by making and selling tella, a locally brewed liquor.

The government has expressed condolences to the victims' families and emphasized the need for safety regulations to be prioritized during construction projects. Health and safety regulations in Ethiopia are often poorly enforced, contributing to such tragic incidents.