15-Year-Old Girl Dead, 3 Hospitalized After Building Partially Collapses During Graduation Party: 'Unthinkable Tragedy'
A graduation party at the Portuguese American Citizens Club in Rhode Island ended in tragedy after the building partially collapsed on Saturday, June 7
A 15-year-old girl died, and three other people were hospitalized with significant injuries, according to reports from multiple outlets including NBC 10 Boston and 7 News Boston
'Words, neither written nor spoken, can express the sorrow with which we are all stricken,' the club said in a statement following the incidentA 15-year-old girl has died and three others are injured after a building partially collapsed while a graduation party was taking place in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
At around 5:34 p.m. local time on Saturday, June 7, police and firefighters received multiple reports of people trapped under a concrete stairwell that had detached from the Portuguese American Citizens Club on Power Street, according to NBC 10 Boston and 7 News Boston.
"There were 75 people inside the building at the time, and it appears several were on the landing when it collapsed," CBS News reported, citing Portsmouth assistant fire chief Howie Tighe. A 15-year-old girl died, while two 17-year-old girls and a 49-year-old woman were rushed to Rhode Island Hospital with significant injuries, per the outlet.
'So the immediate rescue of two of the injured parties was pretty quick," Tighe told CBS News. 'They weren't necessarily trapped in a real complicated manner.
'Then there were the two that were significantly trapped, and obviously one of them took upwards of 45 to 50 minutes because of the amount of cribbing we had to do, trying to lift the concrete wall up because she was trapped underneath it,' he said.
Around the time of the incident, Gov. Dan McKee said in a post on X that his team is 'closely monitoring the situation. 'Our hearts are with the Portuguese community and all those impacted. I'm deeply grateful to the first responders and praying for everyone's safety,' he added.
Police have not formally identified the 15-year-old girl, per NBC 10 Boston. The building's stairwell has been removed from the grounds amid an investigation being led by the Portsmouth building inspector, according to the outlet.
"We routinely practice building collapse scenarios and other scenarios, but when it occurs, it can be a stress point for them all,' Portsmouth Chief of Police Brian Peters told NBC10 Boston affiliate WJAR. 'It's standard practice for us in our department when we have a fatal incident or a critical incident that the town has been really good at having counseling available to us, and the men and women take advantage of that.'
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
A memorial for the 15-year-old girl, a Portsmouth public school student, was held on Sunday. Pastor David Chatowsky said he did not know the victim personally, but told WJAR that he "prayed for the parents and I prayed for the people that are hurt."
"We have to help them out, we can do that through prayer, visiting them, and visiting them at the hospital and showing compassion," Chatowsky added.
The Portsmouth Portuguese American Citizens Club shared their sympathy in a post on Facebook.
'It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we acknowledge this unthinkable tragedy that has befallen our community,' the club's statement read. 'The Portsmouth Portuguese American Citizens Club has always taken pride in providing a venue at which our community can congregate and celebrate.
'Words, neither written or spoken, can express the sorrow with which we are all stricken,' the statement continued. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved and affected. This tragedy has shaken us all to our core.
They concluded, 'We would like to express a debt of gratitude to our first responders and law enforcement in the town of Portsmouth and neighboring communities.'
Portsmouth police and Portsmouth's fire department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Monday, June 9.
Read the original article on People
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Madeleine McCann searches concluded as planned, prosecutors say
The latest searches in connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann concluded as planned, German prosecutors have said. Head prosecutor in Braunschweig, Hans Christian Wolters, said the co-operation between the Portuguese and German authorities during the operation was 'very constructive'. His words came after The Sun newspaper reported that samples had been taken from last week's searches after claims that bones and clothing fibres were found. The newspaper reported that the bones were initially deemed to be animal remains but have been retained by prosecutors to be forensically examined. The latest hunt for evidence came 18 years after three-year-old Madeleine disappeared from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz while on holiday with her family in 2007. She was left sleeping by her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, and vanished as they went for dinner in a nearby restaurant. Search teams concluded their operation in neighbouring Atalaia, near the city of Lagos, after three days of scouring scrubland and abandoned structures. German prosecutors requested the search as part of their continued attempts to source evidence to implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner. He is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005 and is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. According to reports, Brueckner sent a letter to police saying 'decisive questions can never be answered'. Another letter shows the suspect telling Mr Wolters that 'the investigation will be dropped', The Sun reported. In October last year, he was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Motorcyclist dies after Portsmouth crash
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (WPRI) —A 36-year-old Middletown man has died several days after a motorcycle crash in Portsmouth. The man, identified Tuesday as Juan Pablo Garcia Castro, was involved in the crash around 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 5. ALSO READ: Bryant graduate killed in Johnston motorcycle crash According to police, Garcia Castro was riding north on West Main Road and turned onto Route 24 using the left lane. At the curve of the on-ramp, police said he changed lanes and hit the guardrail, causing him to be thrown from the motorcycle. Police said Garcia Castro was wearing a helmet, but he was unresponsive when first responders arrived. He was first taken to St. Anne's Hospital before being flown to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where he died Monday. The crash remains under investigation. NEXT: Portsmouth community mourns teen killed in Portuguese club collapse Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
L.A. Schools Create ‘Perimeters of Safety' Against ICE Agents
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Monday school police will create 'perimeters of safety' around high school graduation ceremonies to keep out immigration enforcement agents after federal raids rocked the city last week. Speaking at a press conference at LAUSD headquarters, Carvalho also said the district would offer transportation to graduation events, shorten lines outside venues, and provide temporary shelter for attendees in case of immigration action by ICE at or near graduation venues. The district was examining steps it could take to ensure immigrant students can participate in summer school classes that start next week without threat of arrest, including expanded busing and more virtual classes, Carvalho said. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter 'Our schools are places of education and inspiration, not fear and intimidation,' Carvalho said. 'Many of us here are immigrants or children of immigrants.' The actions come as the Trump administration has ramped up actions against immigrant students across the country. More than 100 graduation-related events are scheduled across L.A. schools on Monday and Tuesday, which is the last day of class before LAUSD lets out for summer break. Carvalho, who is a Portuguese immigrant and outspoken critic of the immigration policies of President Donald Trump, said some L.A. families were afraid to attend graduation ceremonies, fearful they could be targeted by federal immigration agents. He said schools and families remain on high alert after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in L.A. last week arrested more than 100 people in raids across the city. The federal immigration enforcement actions in Los Angeles last week included arrests at local businesses, but not at schools, and prompted widespread and sometimes violent protests that began on Friday and continued through Monday, with dozens of arrests. LAUSD does not track students' immigration status. According to the city's teachers' union the district serves nearly 30,000 immigrant students, and a quarter of those students are undocumented. LA Immigrant families have grown more concerned as the Trump administration has stepped up immigration crackdowns in L.A. and beyond. In April, federal immigration agents were denied access to two LAUSD elementary schools after the agents sought to contact five students at those schools, who were identified by federal authorities as minors who arrived unaccompanied at the border. Carvalho said he has instructed LAUSD school police to 'intervene' against any ICE agents who may be attempting immigration enforcement at school graduation events, but he declined to provide additional details. 'Every single graduation site is a protected site,' Carvalho said. 'I have directed our own police force to redouble their efforts and establish perimeters of safety around graduation sites, [and] to interfere, intervene and interfere with any federal agency who may want to take action.' He said he had spoken with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom about the actions he was taking. Reps for Bass and Newsom didn't respond to requests for comment. Representatives for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, also didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The LAUSD school board, Newsom and Bass have all backed Carvalho in standing against federal immigration enforcement. The LAUSD school board has issued a series of resolutions stating that L.A. Unified will be a sanctuary for immigrant students. Carvalho said on Monday that last week two ICE vehicles were spotted near two LAUSD elementary schools. The ICE agents didn't visit the schools, Carcalho said, but they did frighten the children inside. 'No action has been taken, but we interpret those actions as actions of intimidation, instilling fear that may lead to self deportation,' said Carvalho. 'That is not the community we want to be. That is not the state or the nation that we ought to be.'
