TO CLOSE

According to police, dozens of people were injured when the ground collapsed at a party in Clemson, South Carolina.
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At the scene of a floor collapse in a complex Clemson apartments.(Photo: Mollie Simon)

Thirty people were injured when The floor of a clubhouse collapsed at an evening at Woodlands Apartments in South Carolina, the Clemson City Police Department announced.

Police received a call Sunday at 12:30 pm and responded to the apartment complex on Old Greenville Highway. The police arrived to find more than two dozen wounded, although no one was trapped and none of them would threaten life, the police said.

Larissa Stone, a sophomore student from Clemson University, said she arrived at the party about 20 minutes before the ground collapsed. She said a song played that "a lot of people liked it."

"So everyone was jumping in. The pace was about to fall and all the ground had collapsed," she said. "It happened so fast, I got up and everyone was trying to get out, people are under the others, people are hurt, people are bleeding, I had blood on my sneakers. It was really terrible. "

Police said that a group had rented the clubhouse for a private party.

"It was packed," Stone says. "That many people should not have been there."

Resident Victoria Stokes, who has lived in the apartment for about a year, described the chaotic scene that followed the collapse. Stokes said he saw people being taken out of the building with lawn chairs.

Stokes was not at the party, but called the apartment complex calm. She said the party was noisy, but did not think about it because it was the weekend back home.

The Woodlands of Clemson is a "community of condominium-style townhouses and gardens," according to its website. The complex, which is approximately three miles from Clemson University, includes both students and non-students.

The wounded were transported to hospitals in the area by the emergency medical services of Clemson University, Pickens County and Med Shore. Clemson University Fire coordinated the efforts.

Tal Slann, president of Woodlands Management of Clemson, Inc., e-mailed residents Sunday morning.

As you all know, there was a party at the clubhouse last night. This party caused a collapse of the floor structure in front of the pavilion chimney. The clubhouse and the pool are out of bounds for everyone. The clubhouse will be inspected by structural engineers as soon as possible. From there, the homeowners' association will determine how to rebuild the clubhouse to make it safe for all residents. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been hurt and we apologize for any inconvenience.

According to the "Community Rules and Regulations" addendum posted on the Complex's website, "the tenant indemnifies the landlord and his agent, and exempts the landlord and his agent from any bodily injury claim suffered by the tenant, his family and his guest in their use and enjoyment. pool or other facilities provided in the Community. "

The complex includes student and non-student residents. Slann explained that the complex does not belong to a company and that the owners' association manages all the shared spaces, including the clubhouse.

Clemson University officials were informed of the incident early Sunday morning and were still gathering information about what had happened.

Contribution: Jason Clary, Independent Anderson Mail

Follow Mollie R. Simon on Twitter: @ mrsimon22

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