At least 13 church goers have died in South Africa’s province of KwaZulu-Natal after a church collapsed during an Easter service on Thursday night.

According to reports, twelve women and a 10-year-old boy were killed when a brick wall at the Pentecostal Holiness Church in Dlangubo collapsed during a Passover service.

Sixteen other congregants were injured.

The collapse is said to have been caused by heavy rainfall in the northern part of the province.

“The front wall of the church collapsed at around 10.15pm as a result of a severe thunderstorm which was accompanied by strong winds in the area that had undermined the structural foundations of the building,” said the authorities.

The government had said it would assist with the funerals for the congregants who lost their lives during this incident.

The S.A Police have said an inquest docket had been opened that would presumably include scrutinising adherence to building requirements.

A forensic engineering team was also conducting an investigation to determine if the collapse was due to structural defects.