At least nine people were killed when the roof of a church in Mexico collapsed during Sunday mass.

Roof collapsed over church pews Photo: José Luis Tapia

The roof of a church collapsed during Sunday mass in a city in northern Mexico, causing authorities said at least nine people were injured and 40 were injured as rescuers worked through the night searching for another 30 people believed to be trapped under the rubble.

Police in Tamaulipas state said Santa -There were about 100 people in Klaus. Cruz Church at the time of the collapse.

Bishop José Armando Alvarez of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tampico said the roof collapsed while parishioners were receiving communion.

“Thanks to Divine Providence and the work of rescue teams, people were pulled out alive from under the rubble!” This was stated in a statement from the Diocese of Bishop Alvarez published on social networks. “Let's continue to pray!”

As a result of the accident, 40 people were taken to the hospital. Among the wounded were a four-month-old child, three five-year-olds and two nine-year-olds. There was no immediate information about their conditions.

The roof of the church collapsed Photo: José Luis Tapia Rescuers work to save trapped people Photo: AFP

Bishop Alvarez called on anyone who had firewood to donate to bring it to the church, apparently to shore up the roof while rescue teams crawled inside.

Tamaulipas state police said units of the National Guard, State Police, State Civil Defense and the Red Cross remain at the scene trying to rescue the victims.

Footage on social media showed the moment the church's roof collapsed, sending plumes of gray smoke into the air before the yellow brick exterior walls collapsed.

The roof appeared to be poured concrete and was visible in photographs released by state authorities. a massive roof resting on pews in some parts of the church. This left open the possibility that the survivors had airspace.

A priest at the site where people were trapped. Photo: AFP

Building collapses during earthquakes are common in Mexico, but the National Seismological Service has not reported any seismic activity strong enough to cause such damage during a collapse. There were also no immediate signs of an explosion.

Ciudad Madero is about 310 miles south of Brownsville, Texas. Tamaulipas is known for drug cartel violence, but Ciudad Madero is in the southern part of the state, close to the neighboring state of Veracruz, and has been less affected by the violence.