Indian among 24 killed in Nepal church collapse

The people had gathered in Dharan, some 400 km southeast of the capital, for a week-long Christian conference, and many chose to sleep on top of a church extension made of bamboo and tin roofing, the police said. The convention was organised by the El-Shaddai Church, an international Christian organisation with a base in the Indian town, Darjeeling.
“The participants were preparing to sleep when the wall collapsed. Most of the victims were on the ground floor of the building,” the police said.

Among the 24 killed were 17 women and four children, officials said. The 63 people injured were taken to the nearby B P Koirala medical college hospital, according to the national news agency RSS.

One of the dead has been identified as 35-year-old Neeru Rai from India. Some Indian nationals may be among the injured as there were many participants from India, the police said. However, no details about the identity of the injured were available.

Thirty-two people have been discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment while the rest were under treatment, according to the police.

Some 1,500 Christians had gathered in Dharan from across the country and neigbouring India, for the conference, which coincides with the Dashain festival. The army has been drafted to assist the local administration in the rescue effort, officials said.

Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal condoled the death of the Christians in the church collapse.