In Portsmouth, Rhode Island, a building partially collapsed during a graduation celebration, killing a 15-year-old girl and injuring three others.
Multiple reports of individuals trapped beneath a concrete stairwell that had detached from the Portuguese American Citizens Club on Power Street were received by police and firefighters at approximately 5:34 p.m. local time on Saturday, June 7.
According to Portsmouth assistant fire chief Howie Tighe, “there were 75 people inside the building at the time, and it appears several were on the landing when it collapsed.” Two 17-year-old girls and a 49-year-old woman were taken to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries, and a 15-year-old girl passed away.
“So the immediate rescue of two of the injured parties was pretty quick,” Tighe stated. “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 stated.
Governor Dan McKee stated in a post on X at the time of the incident that his team was “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 continued.
The 15-year-old girl has not been officially identified by the police. While the Portsmouth building inspector conducts an investigation, the building’s stairwell has been removed from the property.
“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 stated. “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.”
On Sunday, there was a memorial service for the 15-year-old girl, who attended a public school in Portsmouth. Although he did not personally know the victim, Pastor David Chatowsky stated that he “prayed for the parents and I prayed for the people that are hurt.”
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“We have to help them out, we can do that through prayer, visiting them, and visiting them at the hospital and showing compassion,” Chatowsky continued.
In a Facebook post, the Portsmouth Portuguese American Citizens Club expressed their condolences.
“It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we acknowledge this unthinkable tragedy that has befallen our community,” according to the club’s statement. “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 added. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved and affected. This tragedy has shaken us all to our core.
“We would like to express a debt of gratitude to our first responders and law enforcement in the town of Portsmouth and neighbouring communities,” they said in closing.
