Authorities say at least 25 people were injured at a house party near the University of Georgia after the floor collapsed. The party was at two-story house and had over 500 people in attendance.
According to the release from the Athens Clarke-County Fire and Emergency Services, the incident happened around 1 a.m. on Friday in Athens. Police estimated 500 people were at the party when the first floor of the home collapsed into a crawl space. Injuries ranged from cuts and scratches to a possible broken arm. Investigators, however, said the incident could have been much worse.
"On arrival to the area, our units had a difficult time approaching the home due to massive amounts of vehicles and people blocking the street. When our crews finally made it to the home, they found a two-story home over a high crawl space. The majority of the first floor had collapsed into the crawl space due to dozens of people who had overcrowded the space while having a party. Our crews assisted police in the removal of victims of the accident from the crawl space and assisted EMS crews with triaging patients and assessing injuries. A secondary search for hidden victims was conducted and none were found. There was also an assessment of the structure to recommend it being unsafe for activity."
Code enforcement was contacted to see if the property could be condemned.
Photo: Athens-Clarke County Fire and Emergency Services