1 killed, 22 injured after tent collapse in Virginia, US

One person dies and 22 others injured following an outdoor tent failure at a Virginia church gathering in the United States.

Officials say heavy rain, lightning and strong gusts that tore through Virginia's Moneta community Friday evening caused a large tent to collapse when the EastLake Community Church's 20th anniversary celebration was underway.

The pastor says he was in the process of evacuating attendees as a burst of wind picked up the tent behind the church.

First responders rushed to rescue everyone trapped inside and moved them to safety.

Eleven people have been taken to the hospital and 11 others were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The tent, which had passed an inspection by the county's building inspections division days before, had seating for 1,500 people, but it was unclear how many were inside at the time of the collapse.

The state governor offered condolences in a statement and said her team has been in close contact with the response crew on the ground.