Maputo — 29 people were injured, six of them seriously, when a wall of a church collapsed during a storm on Sunday in Sussundenga district, in the central Mozambican province of Manica, according to a report on Radio Mozambique.

The disaster happened at the Sussundenga Zion Church, in the middle of a Sunday service.

“The churchgoers were surprised by the storm during the Sunday mass, when a wall collapsed, injuring 29 people”, said the Sussundenga district administrator, Mariazinha Niquisse. “Due to the seriousness of their injuries, six of them had to be transferred to the Manica provincial hospital”.

A hospital source told reporters that it had been necessary to amputate limbs of some of the victims.

Niquisse said the storm had destroyed 25 houses built of flimsy materials and 20 conventional houses. The high winds ripped the roofs off two classrooms.

“The winds and heavy rains lasted for about 30 minutes, but did a lot of damage”, said Niquisse. “We have urged people to seek out safe places when situations of this sort occur”.

She added that the district has already activated its disaster risk management committees, and has positioned boats on rivers prone to flooding for any search and rescue operations that might be necessary during the current rainy season.