Almost two dozen members of a youth summer camp were injured and received medical attention after an elevated wooden walkway collapsed under them in the small coastal city of Surfside Beach, Texas on Thursday.
Five of the teenagers were flown to a hospital by helicopter to receive further medical attention.
As the Brazosport Facts reported, the teens were walking on a portion of the raised walkway which was located at the city's Stahlman Park, which leads to a beach.
Surfside Beach City Attorney Patton Ritter said, "As far as what’s going on, that’s still under investigation. We’re going to let that play out, let the investigation go through and see what happens.”
Ritter said Life Flight helicopters transported some of the injured while others were taken away by ground to hospitals.
Those injured were part of a church group called the Bayou City Fellowship, and were wearing matching yellow shirts at the time of the collapse.
It was initially believed that up to 70 people were involved. Authorities said that apart from the five taken away by helicopter, there were six taken away by ambulance and 10 others were transported by private vehicles. The teens ranged in age from 14 to 18.
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The 18-year-old said he tried to stay strong while awaiting news about his dad, whose body was eventually recovered from the rubble over the weekend.
Medical staff later said none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
The Surfside Beach Volunteer Fire Department said it responded to an emergency call at around 12:34 p.m. local time.
The original raised structure at Stahlman Park was built in the 1970s and was seriously damaged during Hurricane Ike in 2008 before it was demolished. The rebuilt version of the walkway, which includes a gazebo and connects the parking area to the beach, was opened in 2010.
