The roof of a shopping mall collapsed in Trujillo, Peru, on on Friday evening local time. At least six people are dead and dozens injured. Photo / Peru's regional government of La Libertad via AFP
The roof of a shopping mall collapsed in Trujillo, Peru, on on Friday evening local time. At least six people are dead and dozens injured. Photo / Peru's regional government of La Libertad via AFP
At least six people have died and 78 are injured after the roof of a food court at a busy shopping centre collapsed in northern Peru, as the death toll from the accident doubled.
Firefighters and police continued to hunt for survivors in the debris of the collapse,which occurred yesterday NZT at the Real Plaza shopping complex in Trujillo, the country’s third-largest city about 500km north of Lima.
Dozens of families were in the food court when the roof fell, according to local media.
Defence Minister Walter Astudillo updated the death toll from three to six and said the number of injured had increased to 78, according to state media Andina.
Forty-eight of the injured were hospitalised, three in serious condition, he added.
Interior Minister Juan Jose Santivanez estimated the collapsed roof area was 700 to 800sq m.
According to the regional emergency operations centre, the collapse occurred at 8.41pm local time on Friday, but was only reported about half an hour later.
