30 April 2023 , 05:03
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A roof collapsed after up to 45 students climbed on top of a house during a party, leaving 14 people in hospital.
Some students were left trapped as part of the building fell to pieces near Ohio State University on Saturday night.
Emergency services said the roof, which was not designed to hold significant weight, was overloaded with students moments before the accident.
Columbus Division of Fire Battalion Chief Steve Martin said his department arrived to find the roof above a front porch had collapsed.
"The few people that were trapped, I believe, were probably unpinned," Martin said. "It was like their leg was caught under some of the structure and some of the students lifted that off the students. So everybody was kind of out."
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Fourteen victims were taken to local hospitals with "various states of injuries" but they all were in stable condition, Martin said.
"It appears the roof was overloaded with students," Martin said, with estimates ranging from 15 to 45 people on a rooftop "that was not designed to have anybody on it, and it gave way."
The names of the home owner or occupants were not immediately available.
The home is not on the property of the Ohio State University. The main campus in Columbus has an enrolled student population of 61,677 for the 2022-2023 school year, according to the university's website.