70 Wedding Guests Fall Through Floor

The floor turned into a trapdoor at a New Hampshire wedding on Saturday, dropping dozens of guests into a basement full of farm equipment. Authorities say about 144 people were inside the Sap House building at the Preserve at Chocorua in Tamworth when a roughly 20-by-20-foot section collapsed around 4:30pm, just as the wedding ceremony had begun, sending nearly 70 people down one level into the basement, per USA Today and WMUR. Some were briefly pinned under beams and farm equipment, according to a joint statement from the state fire marshal and Tamworth Fire/Rescue.

Six adults were taken to hospitals with injuries described as non-life-threatening; four had been released by Saturday evening, per WMUR. Others were treated at the scene. "We're very fortunate that more people didn't get seriously injured," State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said, per NBC Boston, crediting the quick actions of venue staff and guests who used ladders to help people climb out of the 8-foot-deep hole before firefighters arrived. Early findings suggest the building was over capacity at the time of the incident, though investigators say the probe is in its early stages. Officials are asking anyone with information to contact Toomey's office.