At least 36 people have been killed and more than 200 injured at a religious festival in central Ethiopia when wooden scaffolding collapsed underneath them inside a partially constructed church, police say.

The temporary wooden structure gave way on Wednesday under the weight of worshippers visiting Arerti St Mary's Church in Minjar Shenkora Woreda, North Shewa Zone of the Amhara Region, local police chief Ahmed Gebeyehu told state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting.

The death toll could rise further as some of the injured remained in critical condition, Gebeyehu said.

"What caused the damage was when the scaffolding crumpled. It just crushed the people beneath. Some who were on the peripheries ran outside, but those in the middle perished," said Tadesse Tesfaye, a survivor.

A day after the

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