Six people were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries following a floor collapse at a wedding venue in the North Country town of Tamworth Saturday evening, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
“While the investigation is in its early stages, investigators believe the building was over capacity prior to the floor collapse,” the State Fire Marshal’s Office said.
Initial reports described the incident as a “mass casualty” event at the Preserve at Chocorua, a historic 26-acre farm with multiple buildings. State authorities said 144 guests were in a sap house building when the floor collapsed, and about half of the guests fell through an approximately 20-by-20-foot opening into the basement.
At around 6:18 p.m., members of the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the venue on Philbrick Neighborhood Road.
“When first responders arrived on scene, they learned that venue staff and wedding guests had already provided initial first aid to some guests and used ladders to help individuals who fell through the collapsed floor,” the State Fire Marshal’s Office said in a statement.
In addition to the six people who were taken to the hospital, others were treated at the scene.