At least 3 dead, 74 injured after food court roof collapses in Peru

Tragic shopping mall roof collapse in Peru leaves 3 dead, 74 injured, including children, with ongoing rescue efforts.

At least three people are dead and around 74 injured after the roof of a food court at a busy shopping centre collapsed in northern Peru, authorities said on Friday (February 21, 2025).

"So far we have three deceased, two men and a woman," fire department Commander Gelqui Gomez said on America TV.

The number injured had risen to 74, said local government health official Anibal Morillo, after the health ministry earlier reported 20 injured.

"We have evacuated 74 injured to hospitals and clinics, 10 of whom are children. There are 11 seriously injured," Morillo told RPP radio.

Dozens of families were in the food court of the shopping mall when the roof collapsed, according to local media reports.

The collapse occurred at the Real Plaza shopping complex in Trujillo, the country's third largest city, located about 500 kilometres (310 miles) north of the capital Lima.

The search for survivors was ongoing, with more than a hundred firefighters and police officers searching through the debris.