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June 13, 2013: An outdoor deck at a Miami-area restaurant and bar collapsed into Biscayne Bay Thursday night, injuring dozens.WSVN.com
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June 13, 2013: An outdoor deck at a Miami-area restaurant and bar collapsed into Biscayne Bay Thursday night, injuring dozens.WSVN.com
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An outdoor patio deck at a popular Miami-area sports bar collapsed Thursday during the NBA Finals, injuring 24 people, two of them critically, authorities said.
Authorities said about 100 people were on the deck of Shucker's Bar & Grill in North Bay Village, north of Miami Beach, when it gave way.
Lt. Ignatius Carroll of Miami Fire-Rescue said said rescuers pulled patrons from Biscayne Bay, and that divers were searching waters underneath the collapsed deck as helicopters shined spotlights onto the area.
Bar customers and rescuers pulled people from the bay amid a chaotic scene. One witness said there was yelling and crying, and that some patrons jumped into the water to help while others pulled those who'd fallen from the water.
One witness, Martin Torres, 42, of Los Angeles, said he heard a loud explosion and though a boat had struck the deck. He said he looked out from the restaurant and saw people staring up from the water, and then he and others started helping pull patrons out of the water.
"It was shock," said Torres. "And then everything was like, man, it exploded. People were yelling. Nobody knew. People came out all wet. They were crying. For a while, nobody knows what was going on."
There was initially some concern that people might have been trapped in the water beneath the crumpled deck, but Miami Dade Fire Chief David Downey said crews had completed their search and everyone was accounted for.
"According to witnesses, a lot of people jumped in to help," Downey said. "Those efforts can make a lot of difference sometimes."
The accident occurred around 9:45 p.m. as customers were watching the Miami Heat play the San Antonio Spurs.
Chris Volz was sitting about 10 feet from where the deck gave way. He told the Miami Herald the collapse happened in a split second and that no one had the opportunity to get away.
"Everybody’s watching the game. It sounded like a freight train, then everyone was gone. The deck went down like a V," Volz told the newspaper.
WSVN-TV news director Tom Tuckwell told the news station that he had his back to the bay when he heard an enormous roar. When he turned around, he saw people disappeared beneath them.
Click here for more from WSVN.com.
Click here for more from the Miami Herald.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
