A storefront church collapsed Sunday afternoon, trapping an 84-year-old Baptist minister and a female worshiper under a pile of rubble, authorities said. The Rev. Romey L. Barber, his wife and two female parishoners were leaving the Southern Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church about 1:20 p.m. when the three-story building collapsed forward onto them, according to Fire Department supervisor Stephen Imszennik. The pastor and 53-year-old Jean Tucker were trapped for a half hour, authorities said. Barber suffered multiple fractures and was in serious condition at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, while Ms. Tucker was in guarded condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, spokeswomen said. The building appeared to have been ``structurally defective in some way,'' Imszennik said.
