Nearly 600 people are believed to have been inside the evangelical Reborn in Christ Church, in the southern district of Cambuci, at when the roof collapsed on Sunday evening. The church is able to house over 2,000 people but fortunately was relatively empty as the incident occurred between services.
The ceiling of the church, which is housed in a former cinema, was supported by steel pillars. The national O Globo newspaper cited an eyewitness as saying that the ceiling suddenly began falling down "like dominoes."
Some witnesses said they felt a "strong wind" or even heard an explosion seconds before the ceiling began to cave in.
Emergencies services evacuated eight houses close to the church amid fears that the building's walls might also collapse.
