Image copyright KZN EMS/ Arrive Alive Image caption Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant was planning to attend the Good Friday service at the church

At least 13 people have died and many were injured when a wall collapsed in South Africa at the start of a Good Friday service at a Pentecostal church.

Emergency services said that 29 people were rushed to hospital after the collapse in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Local officials have blamed the tragedy on heavy rainfall in the area around eMpangeni on Thursday night.

Most of the victims were reportedly women sleeping in the church.

An 11-year-old girl is thought to be among them.

The wall at the front of the Pentecostal Holiness Church collapsed at the start of what had been planned as a weekend-long service to commemorate the Christian festival of Easter.

On Friday, a special prayer service was held in a large tent in front of the church, reports the eNCA TV station.

The Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, the mayor of Zululand municipality, said the community was devastated and they would be praying for those affected by the tragedy.

"Christians [from] all denominations - we are here in solidarity. We are here to pray with the church, to pray with the families and to offer our support that God may really heal their wounds."

President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the church last year and some of the congregants reportedly asked for his support to build a new church.

Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant is a member of the church and was planning to attend the Good Friday service there.

She visited the scene and said: "Even at this difficult time, we still need to trust in God."

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Local official Lennox Mabaso told SABC news that the church "a solid structure".

"It is an act of nature. It is an act of God. Not even a president could have been able to save this particular situation," he said.

"It was a heavy storm that affected this area."</s>At least 13 killed as church wall collapses during Easter service in South Africa

At least 13 killed as church wall collapses during Easter service in South Africa

Strong rain and wind are believed to have caused the collapse. Pic: Twitter/@_ArriveAlive

At least 13 people have been killed after part of a church collapsed in South Africa, according to local media.

The incident reportedly happened on Thursday night while an Easter service was under way at the Pentecostal church in Dlangubo, KwaZulu-Natal province.

Heavy rain and winds are thought to have caused the collapse, according to police and emergency service officials quoted by News24.

Reports say six people were seriously hurt and 10 others suffered minor injuries.

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele told News24 she believed people had also been sleeping inside the church when the wall came down.

Pictures of the collapse on social media show an entire side of the building has collapsed.</s>According to information coming from South Africa, a church in the province of KwaZulu Natal collapsed during a service due to heavy rainfall in the area.

A brick wall of the Pentecostal church in the city of Empangeni collapsed at the start of Easter services killing at least 13 people died and 16 were wounded.</s>April 19 (UPI) -- A wall collapsed during a church service in South Africa late Thursday and killed 13 worshipers, officials said.

Officials believe heavy rains caused the front wall to collapse at the Pentecostal Holiness Church in Ndlangubo, in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province. Emergency personnel said nearly three dozen people were injured, at least six critically.

The rural church on South Africa's eastern coastline was filled with congregants Thursday night for the start of a Passover service to begin Easter week events.

A preliminary investigation cited the heavy rains as a primary factor in the structural collapse. KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu called for an investigation into the safety of the building.

"It is an act of nature, an act of God," municipal official Lennox Mabaso said.

Emergency officials were expected to visit the church site Friday.</s>At least 13 people have died and many were injured when a wall collapsed in South Africa at the start of an Easter service at a Pentecostal church.

Emergency services said that 29 people were rushed to hospital after the collapse in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal.

A local police spokesperson linked the tragedy to heavy rainfall in the area around eMpangeni on Thursday night.

Local reports said some people had been sleeping when the brick wall fell.

The wall at the front of the Pentecostal Holiness Church collapsed at the start of what had been planned as a weekend-long service to commemorate the Christian festival of Easter.

On Friday, a special prayer service was held in a large tent in front of the church, reports the eNCA TV station. BBC News.</s>At least 13 people have died and many injured after a wall collapsed in South Africa at the start of an Easter service at a Pentecostal church.

Emergency services said that 29 people were rushed to hospital after the collapse in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal.

A local police spokesperson linked the tragedy to heavy rainfall in the area around Empangeni on Thursday night.

Local reports said some people had been sleeping when the brick wall fell.</s>Thirteen worshippers were killed when a church in South Africa collapsed during an Easter service.

A wall came down at a Pentecostal church last night with 29 people rushed to hospital, six of whom were seriously injured.

A local police spokesperson linked the tragedy to heavy rainfall in the area around eMpangeni, 105 miles north of Durban, on Thursday night.

Pictures of the scene on the emergency services' Twitter page showed bricks and piles of debris strewn across the church 

 floor, with pipes and pillars hanging from higher parts of the building.

Local reports said some people had been sleeping when the brick wall fell.

The wall at the front of the Pentecostal Holiness Church collapsed at the start of what had been planned as a weekend-long service to commemorate the Christian festival of Easter.

On Friday, a special prayer service was held in a large tent in front of the church, reports the eNCA TV station.

The ANC and the DA both sent condolences following the tragedy.

“The African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal sends its deepest condolences to the relatives of the 13 people who sadly lost their lives when the side wall of the Pentecostal church building... collapsed following heavy rainfall.

“We join hands alongside the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones at this poignant time of the Passover due to such a sudden and unexpected disaster.

"We join hands with them, acutely aware of the excruciating pain that they must be going through," the party said in a statement.

The DA’s Zwakele Mncwango also sent the party's condolences.

“We are sad to learn that 13 congregants who were gathered for a Passover session on Thursday night lost their lives.

"We are further urging those who will be travelling to further away places for Good Friday service to be vigilant on the roads, ensuring a safe return to their respective homes,” he said.</s>Thirteen people have been confirmed dead and several injured when a wall collapsed as Easter service got underway at a Pentecostal church in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Reports indicate 29 faithfuls of the Pentecostal Church were rushed to hospital after the Friday incident.

Locals who spoke to the local and international media said some of the people involved in the incident were sleeping in the Church when when the brick wall fell.

Police report links the incident to a heavy rainfall on Thursday night

President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the church last year and some of the congregants reportedly asked for his support to build a new church.

Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant is a member of the church and was planning to attend the Good Friday service there.

She has arrived at the scene and said: “Even at this difficult time, we still need to trust in God.”</s>A church wall has collapsed in South Africa, killing at least 13 people

Emergency services took 29 people to hospital after the tragedy in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal, at least six of whom were seriously injured.

Police spokeswoman Colonel Thembeka Mbele told the News24 television channel an investigation into the circumstances leading up to the tragedy was underway.

She added: "The congregants were sleeping in the building after the church service ended just after 10pm. There was heavy wind and rain and the walls collapsed.

"The 13 confirmed dead are 12 women and one boy. An inquest docket has been opened and police are still at the scene."

The wall at the front of the Pentecostal Holiness Church collapsed on Good Friday at the beginning of a weekend-long service .

Nomusa Dube-Ncube, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, told local broadcaster Enca: “We received a call on Thursday night that part of a church wall had collapsed on congregants due to heavy rain and wind."</s>At least 13 people were killed Thursday evening after a church collapsed in South Africa, according to local media.

The collapse at the Pentecostal church in Dlangubo occurred during an Easter season service, South Africa's News24 reported.

Robert McKenzie, a KwaZulu-Natal emergency medical services spokesman, told the outlet that heavy rainfall may have been to blame. He said sixteen people were also injured.

Disaster management officials were dispatched to the site of the collapse. An investigation is underway.

Dlangubo is located near the country's eastern shore, about a 3-hour drive south of Swaziland.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
At least 13 people are killed and 29 others are injured when a wall collapses in Empangeni, South Africa, at the start of an Easter service at a Pentecostal church.