Terrifying moment building marquee collapsed in Brazil, killing five people and injuring nine
- Five people were confirmed dead and nine suffered injuries after a marquee fell off a building in Aliança, Brazil on Sunday
- The residents had gathered to celebrate the city’s 94th anniversary of its emancipation when the building structure crashed over a group
- One of the victims, a 46-year-old married mother-of-one, died at a local hospital while her 16-year-old niece was pronounced dead at the scene
At least five people were killed and nine were injured after a building marquee collapsed over them while they were watching a parade in northeast Brazil on Sunday.
At the time of the incident, residents were enjoying festivities that marked the 94th anniversary of the emancipation of the city of Aliança.
Video footage showed a crowd standing in front of a store that was closed when the signboard crashed over them.
Among the dead victims were a 13-year-old girl, a 16-year-old girl, a 25-year-old man, a 46-year-old woman and a 70-year-old woman.
Four of the nine who were injured have been discharged from local hospitals.
Revelers stand next to a store during a parade in Aliança, Brazil on Sunday moments before marquee crashed and fell on top of a group of people, killing five and injuring nine
Authorities are looking into what caused a store marquee to loosen and fall off a building in Brazil on Sunday while residents were celebrating the 94th anniversary of the emancipation of the city of Aliança. The incident left five people dead and nine others with injuries
Aliança Civil Defense coordinator, Armando Freitas, told Brazilian news outlet G1 that investigators were looking into what cause the marquee to fall off the building.
‘It was a tragedy. The business is still closed …,’ Freitas said. ‘The law says that it is the responsibility of the owner to cherish the good condition of the building.’
Freitas added that it is the owner’s responsibility to have the marquee inspected every three years.
Marli Alves was among the five people who were killed Sunday when a store’s marquee fell on top of a group of people who were watching a parade in the Brazilian city of Aliança
Beatriz Alves, 16, was one of two teenagers who died after the marquee of a Brazilian store fell on them
A grieving family identified the dead victims as Marli Alves, a 47-year-old housewife, and her 16-year-old niece, Beatriz Alves.
They joined other relatives in making the 90-minute drive from the Atlantic coast city of Recife to attend the annual parade in Aliança.
Carlos Alberto told the outlet that his cousins, Marli and Beatriz, were standing just 13 feet apart when the marquee crushed them.
Beatriz Alves was declared dead by paramedics at the scene. Marli Alves, a married mother-of-one, was rushed to a local hospital and died upon arriving.
The Aliança city government has cancelled the the remaining festivities that were on schedule.
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