The collapse of a church ceiling during mass in northern Mexico has resulted in at least 10 fatalities and 60 injuries. Search workers said on Monday that they do not believe there are more people trapped under the debris.

The state police initially estimated that around 100 people were inside the church in Ciudad Madero on the Gulf Coast when it collapsed during a baptism on Sunday, saying that nearly 30 parishioners may have been trapped under the rubble when the ceiling fell.

Américo Villarreal, the governor of Tamaulipas, later stated that only 70 people were likely inside, adding that after sending in search dogs and thermal imaging cameras under the collapsed concrete slab, it appeared that no one was trapped, except for the 10 bodies that had already been recovered.

Villarreal continued, "The most likely thing, and I can't confirm it 100%, is that there are no more people trapped." He described the search efforts by dogs and rescue teams, affirming, "There are no signs of life inside the collapsed debris."

This optimism will be tested when cranes begin to lift pieces of the collapsed ceiling off the ground and the tops of the pews.

The state security spokesman's office said early on Monday that 23 of the 60 injured remain in the hospital, two of whom are in serious condition.

The collapse occurred on Sunday at the Santa Cruz Church in Ciudad Madero on the Gulf Coast near the coastal city of Tampico, while a mass baptism ceremony was taking place.

Three of the deceased were children, and among the injured was a 4-month-old baby, three 5-year-olds, and two 9-year-olds.

Father Pablo Galván, a priest who was outside in the church parking lot on Sunday, said, "Unfortunately, the elderly and children were the ones who suffered the most, they were the most trapped, and they suffered the most fatalities, I believe." When the collapse occurred, he had just finished celebrating the main mass.

Galván added, describing that moment, "The ceiling simply and clearly collapsed, like an internal explosion, like when you crush a can."

Galván said, "It fell, and there was no time to do anything. Two seconds passed. We still can't understand what happened."

Questions immediately turned to why the concrete and brick structure suddenly failed. Security camera footage taken from nearly a building away showed the unusual gabled roof simply collapsing downward. The walls did not appear to have crumbled outward, and there was no indication of an explosion, or anything else besides a simple structural failure.

The state security spokesman's office indicated that it appeared to be "a structural failure." However, Villarreal confirmed that no problems with the church had been reported before.

Villarreal stated, "It was over 50 years old, and it had been operating here without any issues, and there was no sign of any defect."

The ceiling appears to be made of relatively thin poured concrete, and images released by state authorities showed the remaining slab on top of the pews in some areas of the church. This may have left enough space to save some lives.

Building collapses are common in Mexico during earthquakes, but the national seismic monitoring service reported no strong seismic activity capable of causing such damage at the time of the collapse. There was no immediate indication of an explosion.

Ciudad Madero is located about 310 miles (500 kilometers) south of Brownsville, Texas. Tamaulipas is known for drug cartel violence, but Ciudad Madero is situated in the southern part of the state near the neighboring state of Veracruz and has been less affected by violence.