Teen Dies In Partial Building Collapse In Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH, RI — Authorities said a 15-year-old girl died and several others were injured on Saturday in a partial building collapse at the Portuguese American Citizens Club in Portsmouth.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m., Portsmouth police responded to the building at 35 Power Street for a report of a structural collapse with multiple injuries. The Portsmouth Fire Department was already on the scene, where authorities found that a concrete landing located at the top of an exterior stairway had detached from the building and collapsed.

According to police, the landing settled perpendicularly to the ground, trapping the 15-year-old and another 17-year-old girl beneath it.

Both girls were from Portsmouth, police said. The 17-year-old remains in critical condition.

According to police, the landing was part of the staircase that led to the second-floor entrance of the Portuguese American Citizens Club.

Three people who were standing on the landing when it collapsed were also injured, authorities said.

A 19-year-old woman from Little Compton was treated and released from the hospital. A 49-year-old woman from Merrillville, Indiana, remains hospitalized with serious injuries, and a 46-year-old man from Portsmouth suffered a minor injury and was not hospitalized.

"Out of respect for the privacy of the families, the name of the deceased juvenile will not be released at this time," police said. "Similarly, the names of those injured are being withheld during their ongoing recovery."

In a statement released Sunday, the Portuguese American Citizens Club described the collapse as an "unthinkable tragedy."

"Words, neither written or spoken, can express the sorrow with which we are all stricken," the statement read. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved and affected. This tragedy has shaken us all to our core."

Gov. Dan McKee said he was also "closely monitoring" the incident.

In a similar post, U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo said he and his team were ready to help "in any way possible."

The incident remains under investigation. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office is assisting in determining if any criminal factors were involved in the collapse, police said.

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