Three people, including a six-year-old girl has been confirmed dead when the floor of the church they were worshiping collapsed during an Easter service of song and dance in Seine-St-Denis suburb of Paris.
A two-year-old girl and a 42-year-old woman are also reported to be in the intensive care unit of a hospital close to the disaster scene.
Many of the 150 worshippers also sustained varying degree of injury in the tragedy which occurred in an improvised church frequented by Haitian immigrants.
According to one of the members of the church known as Armed Fighters for Christ New Jerusalem
‘A song and dance had started and there was a huge crack and suddenly the floor gave way, plunging everybody downwards,’ said one of the worshippers.
‘A huge cloud of dust appeared and everyone started screaming. Then we realised people including young children had been badly hurt. It was an absolute disaster.’
The pastor and another man were arrested and charged with manslaughter and causing actual bodily harm.
Christian Lambert, governor of Seine-St-Denis, said the disused building had been in good condition, but was not designed for evangelic church services.
Some of those taking part in the service were survivors of the 2010 Haiti earthquake in which some 316,000 died, 300,000 were badly injured and 1million made homeless.