A church volunteer has died after she was hit by scaffolding following a mass celebrated by Pope Francis in the central Philippine city of Tacloban.

The 27-year-old woman was a volunteer with Catholic Relief Services and was among about 150,000 people who attended the rain-drenched religious ceremonies close to Tacloban's seaside airport, police said.

ABS-CBN television cited the medical director of the hospital where the woman was taken as saying she died from a skull fracture.

Local media reported the scaffolding was used as a loudspeaker platform and was toppled by a sudden gust of wind.

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