A packed Catholic church balcony fell during an Ash Wednesday service in the Philippines on Wednesday, injuring 54 people.

Millions of Filipinos visited churches on Ash Wednesday, one of the religion's busiest days and the start of Lent in Asia's Catholic outpost.

PHOTO | COURTESY Ash Wednesday

According to her, the catastrophe occurred at the Saint Peter the Apostle church in San Jose del Monte, outside Manila, while approximately 400 people were attending mass.

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City disaster director Ruben Fortun said that part of the floor collapsed, dropping parishioners to the ground floor during Ash Wednesday Mass.

An 80-year-old woman was critically wounded, the municipal civil defense commander Gina Ayson said AFP. Another source said most of the people were slightly injured.

PHOTO | COURTESY  Ash Wednesday

According to Ayson, Mayor Arthur Robes has ordered that the damaged church be closed while investigators evaluate its structural safety.

Mayor Robes uploaded photos on his Facebook page showing a portion of the balcony's wooden floor dangling less than a meter (3.3 feet) from the ground floor, filled with plastic chairs and rubbish.

A yellow police tape was erected across the front of the 1994-built structure, while another photograph showed a paramedic evaluating a man's leg.