2 hours ago
Six people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a floor collapsed Saturday at a wedding venue in Tamworth, New Hampshire.
The collapse occurred around 4:30 p.m. while a wedding party of up to 140 people was present, according to a joint release from the Tamworth Fire/Rescue Department and the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office. The office confirmed there were no fatalities and that four of those treated at the hospital had already been released.
A phone call to the venue, the Preserve at Chocorua, was not answered.
Tamworth, a town of about 2,800 people, is located approximately 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of Concord, New Hampshire, near the western border of Maine. Phone calls to MaineHealth Memorial Hospital went unanswered Saturday night as well.
The Fire Marshal's Office reported that while more than 100 people were gathered in a building called the Sap House at the venue, the floor buckled, creating a 20-foot by 20-foot opening and sending about 70 people into the basement. Several individuals were trapped by fallen beams and farm equipment stored on the lower floor.
The buckled floor that collapsed, sending nearly 70 wedding guests into the basement of a building (New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office via AP)
An office spokesperson said late Saturday that before first responders arrived, other guests and staff helped some of those who had fallen climb out of the basement using ladders and provided first aid to people with minor injuries. The exact number treated at the scene remains unclear, and investigators are still assessing the extent of injuries.
A photo from the Fire Marshal's Office shows a chandelier and white bunting decorating the ceiling above the buckled floorboards, along with stacked benches that had been used for seating before the collapse.
The Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the collapse alongside the Tamworth Fire/Rescue Department. A spokesperson stated that investigators believe the building "was over capacity" prior to the floor collapse.
A first responder who arrived shortly after 911 calls described half the floor of the building, where the wedding ceremony was to take place, as having fallen into the basement, according to scanner traffic monitored on Broadcastify. The responder requested additional personnel to interview witnesses, noting about 145 people were present at the event. They also reported carefully extracting people from the basement.
