BUJUMBURA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Three women died and six other people seriously injured after a church building collapsed on Monday in the Burundian southwestern Rumonge province, the governor of Rumonge said Tuesday.

The incident happened in the Kagongo village in the Kizuka zone around 6 p.m. during heavy rains mixed with a violent wind, said Juvenal Bigirimana.

"During prayers, the Kagongo Pentecostal church building collapsed while worshippers were inside. Walls fell on them and three women died on the spot, six other people were seriously injured," said Bigirimana.

He said violent wind first unroofed the church building before walls could collapse, adding that the two actions were almost simultaneous.

Besides human casualties, over 300 houses were damaged during those heavy rains hitting Kagongo, said the governor, adding that an unknown number of hectares of crops were also destroyed by the rains.

Homeless victims were Monday night sheltered by their neighbors whose houses were not affected by the disaster, said the governor, who also called on charitable people and organizations to assist the victims in terms of food and iron sheets in rehabilitating their houses. Enditem