6 hospitalized after floor collapse at New Hampshire wedding venue
At least six people were hospitalized after a floor collapsed during a wedding at a venue in Tamworth, New Hampshire, according to state fire officials. Authorities believe the building was over capacity before the collapse.
The collapse happened at 4:33 p.m. Saturday at The Preserve at Chocorua, a wedding venue at 88 Philbrick Neighborhood Road in Tamworth, a town in New Hampshire’s White Mountains region north of Concord and near the Maine border, according to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office and Tamworth Fire/Rescue.
Officials said 144 guests were inside the venue’s Sap House building at the start of the ceremony when the floor gave way, creating an opening about 20 feet by 20 feet. Nearly half of those inside fell through into the basement.
Callers told emergency crews that more than 100 people had been on the floor when it collapsed and that multiple people were trapped under beams and farming equipment, officials said.
When first responders arrived, venue staff and wedding guests had already begun helping the injured, providing initial first aid and using ladders to assist people who had fallen through the floor. Firefighters helped additional guests from the basement and began evaluating those who reported injuries at the scene.
Six adults were taken by ambulance to area hospitals with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, officials said, and four of them have since been released. Multiple other guests were treated at the scene.
Multiple mutual aid agencies from surrounding communities were called in to respond to the scene or provide station coverage.
The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office said its investigators are leading the inquiry into the collapse. While the investigation remains in its early stages, officials said preliminary findings indicate the building was over capacity before the floor failed.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
