18 in hospital after deck collapses during pre-wedding celebration in Langley, B.C.
Ground and air ambulances dispatched to home where dozens of people were hurt
RCMP say 18 people are in hospital after a deck collapsed at a home in Langley, B.C., during a pre-wedding celebration early Friday evening.
Cpl. Craig Van Herk said the detachment received several 911 calls from the 5800 block of 268th Street around 5:45 p.m. PT reporting a deck collapse.
Nineteen ground ambulances and one air ambulance were dispatched to the scene, where officers found more than 100 people had been celebrating. Around 35 to 40 people were injured.
"It is a fairly serious situation. By numbers alone, there's over 100 people and a deck collapsing … significant resources remain on scene," Van Herk said.
Van Herk said the injured range from "children all the way up to the elderly."
'Tragic, alarming'
Jose Vargas, a communications officer with the provincial health services authority, said 18 people were taken to hospitals with various injuries, mostly fractures of lower extremities.
Langley RCMP said in a written statement that two or three people were in critical condition, and one person was transported to hospital in an air ambulance. Twelve to 15 people were in serious condition, and many others sustained minor injuries.
"It's obviously a tragic, alarming situtation. You've got people there who are celebrating and suddenly, in a matter of seconds, everything changes," said Van Herk.
Van Herk said officers remained on the scene overnight, and that investigators have returned to the property this morning to determine what led to the collapse.
RCMP said that although the investigation is in early stages, there does not appear to be any "overt criminal actions" that caused the collapse.
Watch: First responders on scene at a Langley home after a deck collapse
'Bodies everywhere'
Neighbour Charles Ford was working in his garden next door when he heard a "deafening boom." He said he saw people running and shouting, and ran into his house to grab First Aid supplies.
"What I saw was bodies everywhere. Like where the porch collapsed, there was bodies everywhere," he said.
He said he and his friend started trying to move people away from the collapsed deck.
"There were two ladies ... one was unconscious and the other was bleeding from her ankle pretty bad and I just put whatever bandages I could on there [until] paramedics eventually got there," he said.
"It's unfortunate you know. Today was supposed to be a day of happiness and now, it's a day of this."
With files from Joel Ballard and Michelle Ghoussoub