ADDIS ABABA, Oct 1, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Makeshift scaffolding set up at a church in Ethiopia collapsed Wednesday, killing at least 22 people and injuring 55, state media said.

The incident occurred at around 7:45 am in the town of Arerti town, roughly 70 kilometres (43 miles) east of capital Addis Ababa, when a group was visiting for an annual Virgin Mary festival.

"Many pilgrims were killed or sustained physical injuries," local official Atnafu Abate told the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), putting the toll at 22 dead and 55 wounded.

Some remained under the rubble, he said, without giving any further details about those trapped or possible rescue efforts.

Some of the more seriously hurt were taken to hospitals in the capital, he added.

Images shared on the ECB's official Facebook page showed a mess of collapsed wooden poles, with crowds gathering amid the dense debris.

Other pictures appeared to show the outside of the church, where scaffolding had been precariously constructed.

Health and safety regulations are virtually non-existent in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation, and construction accidents are common.

The sprawling country is a mosaic of 80 ethnic groups and among the oldest Christian nations globally.

Its predecessor, the Axumite Empire, declared Christianity the state religion in the fourth century.