By Xinhua,
Ottawa : At least 42 people were injured, three of them seriously, after the floor of a church collapsed during a concert Friday night in Canada’s western British Columbia province, reports reaching here said Saturday.
At least 1,200 youths were attending a Christian rock concert at the Central Heights Church in the city of Abbotsford when a large area in front of the stage gave way at about 9:00 p.m. Friday local time (0400 GMT Saturday), sending people in the crowd falling several feet into the basement below, local police said.
Police Constable Roger Gosal said that approximately 22 were taken to the Abbotsford Regional Hospital area hospitals, and at least 20 were being treated in hospitals in nearby cities. Three received serious injuries.
When police arrived at the scene they saw a hole in the floor about 22 feet wide, Constable Casey Vinet said.
Vinet said investigators are now trying to determine what caused the collapse. Access to the building is being restricted.
The church was built in the 1980s.