The collapse of a food court roof at a shopping mall in northwestern Peru killed six people and left at least 78 others injured, the defense minister said Saturday.

The heavy iron roof at the Real Plaza Trujillo shopping mall, a city in the La Libertad region, fell Friday night on dozens of people who were at the site.

Defense Minister Walter Astudillo said at a news conference that according to the information provided by local firefighters in La Libertad, five people died on site and a sixth at a hospital after the collapse.

Astudillo also said that 30 injured people have already been discharged and 48 remain hospitalized. Three remained in critical condition. The minister expressed his condolences to the victims' families.

Luis Roncal, head of the local fire department, confirmed that they "did not find any signs of life" as they monitored with rescue dogs, but said that the search for survivors would continue with more than 100 firefighters and police officers searching through the debris.

Dozens of families were in the food court of the shopping mall when the roof collapsed, according to local media reports.

The Real Plaza shopping complex in Trujillo, the country's third-largest city, is located about 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of the capital Lima.

"There is a child trapped" under the roof's metal structures, said local government health official Anibal Morillo to broadcaster Panamericana.

Interior Minister Juan Jose Santivanez estimated the collapsed roof area was 700 to 800 square meters.

"We need hydraulic cranes to lift part of the roof that has not yet been removed because it is so heavy and to continue rescue operations for those who may be trapped," the minister told Canal N television channel.

According to the Regional Emergency Operations Center, the collapse occurred at 8:41 p.m. local time but was reported about half an hour later.

Some information in this report is from The Associated Press.