21 teens injured in walkway collapse at Texas seaside park, officials say

Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
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More than 20 teenagers from a church camp were injured Thursday after an elevated walkway collapsed in a Texas beachside park, officials said.

The Bayou City Fellowship said 78 students were visiting Stahlman Park in Surfside Beach, Texas, and some summer campers were on the walkway for a group picture when it collapsed, according to KTRK-TV. The cause of the incident in Surfside Beach, a city of over 650 people on the Gulf of Mexico, about 60 miles from downtown Houston, was under investigation.

While none of the injuries were life-threatening, Brazoria County public information officer Sharon Trower said five victims were life-flighted, six others were transported by ambulance and 10 were taken by private vehicles to hospitals.

All of the victims were between 14 and 18 years old, according to Trower.

The Surfside Beach Volunteer Fire Department responded to an emergency call at 12:34 p.m. and set up landing areas for the medical helicopters, said Assistant Chief Justin Mills. Additional blood was being delivered to care for victims injured in the incident, the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center said on Twitter.

The teenagers were involved with the Bayou City Fellowship summer camp that was visiting from Cypress, Tomball, and Spring Branch in the Houston metropolitan area, Trower said.

"While this is a traumatic event, we are blessed to report that none of the injuries are life-threatening," Bayou City Fellowship said in a statement to KTRK-TV. "We are thankful for the outpour of concern from our community and ask that the city and surrounding areas keep all that are affected physically and emotionally in prayer."

The Houston Chronicle reported that the collapse occurred outside the Stahlman Park Event Center.

The center, which is on pilings about 11 feet above ground level, reopened in 2010 after it was damaged by Hurricane Ike, according to the Chronicle. Aerial video from KTRK-TV showed the walkway, which appeared to be made from wood.

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Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Surfside Beach walkway deck collapse: 21 teenagers injured