Six people killed and 78 injured as Peru shopping centre food court roof collapsed in horror incident

The heavy iron roof at the Real Plaza Trujillo shopping centre, in the La Libertad region, fell onto dozens of people who were at the site.

Six people have currently been confirmed dead, including a child.

Harrowing footage shows the frightening moments after the collapse, as people run for safety and try to find their loved ones, and survivors cry out from under the debris.

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A spokesman for Real Plaza, the company that runs the shopping centres in 13 cities in Peru, said: “At Real Plaza, we deeply regret what happened at our shopping center in Trujillo and express our sincerest condolences to the families of the deceased.

“Likewise, we express our absolute support to all their families and to the injured due to this unfortunate accident.

“In close coordination with the authorities, we continue to work on rescue efforts and provide all necessary support to those affected and to the investigations that will determine the cause of the accident.”

Real Plaza announced that all its businesses would be closed today to pay respect to the victims of the tragedy.

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They said: “Additionally, as a sign of mourning and solidarity with the victims, we have decided to keep all our shopping centres closed nationwide today, Saturday, February 22. We are committed to keeping families and the community informed, reaffirming our total willingness to assist those who need help at this difficult time.”

Defence minister Walter Astudillo said at a news conference that according to the information provided by local firefighters in La Libertad, five people died on site and a sixth at a hospital after the collapse.

Mr Astudillo also said that 30 injured people have already been discharged and 48 remain in hospital.

Three remain in a critical condition. The minister expressed his condolences to the victims' families.

Luis Roncal, head of the local fire department, confirmed that they "did not find any signs of life" as they monitored with rescue dogs, but that the search for survivors would continue.

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Meanwhile, the mayor of Trujillo, Mario Reyna, announced the closure of the shopping centre "due to imminent risk" and said his government wanted to inspect other centres.

Firefighter chief Gelqui Gomez said: “We have rescued 13 people who were trapped, apart from those who were assisted by civilians.

“More or less around 20 people have been transferred to hospital. We have a preliminary death toll of three, two males and a female.”

It is currently unclear what the reason for the collapse was, and investigations into the incident are ongoing.