Chilling footage: Giant cross collapses on priest, killing him

A priest in Ecuador was killed after a heavy wooden cross detached from a church wall and fell on him during a religious ceremony. The incident was livestreamed in front of worshippers who tried to help him. The circumstances of the accident remain unclear.

An unusual tragedy occurred last Saturday at a church in Guayaquil, Ecuador, when a priest was killed after a large wooden cross detached from the wall and fell on him during mass. The incident happened in front of worshippers and was livestreamed online. According to a report in the local newspaper El Diario, Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinares was conducting the service at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help when the cross, which was hanging on the wall behind him, suddenly came loose and struck him. Footage circulated on social media shows the moment the cross collapsed, about 27 minutes into the broadcast. Shocked worshippers rushed to his aid and called for an ambulance, but the priest died from the impact. The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed the death of Sánchez Molinares and issued a statement of mourning. It is not yet clear what caused the heavy cross to detach from its place.