Several people were injured and others were feared trapped after a retaining wall collapsed during a church gathering in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Province, local media reported on Monday.

Eight people were rescued and taken to hospital following the collapse at eBuhleni Village in Inanda, north of the coastal city of Durban, according to the South African Broadcasting Corporation.

The eThekwini Municipality said the about 18-meter-high retaining wall gave way while congregants were gathered nearby, leaving several people trapped beneath rubble and sand.

Firefighters, paramedics, and search-and-rescue teams were deployed to the scene to search for survivors.

Authorities said the number of