According to Portland Fire and Rescue, a brick column at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon collapsed on Monday, killing one student and wounding two others who were lying in hammocks.
Officials from Lewis & Clark described the incident as a “tragic accident” in a statement. The first day of undergraduate classes for the autumn semester was Monday, per the academic calendar of the private college.
The statement continued, “We are endeavouring to get in touch with the families of the students and will publish further info as it becomes available.” “The terrible loss of a member of our community has left us extremely heartbroken.”
Around 8:15 p.m., fire and rescue personnel were sent to the campus in response to “claims of several people injured” as a result of the column’s collapse, the organisation said in a statement. When they got there, they discovered a deceased 19-year-old guy and two injured 18-year-old ladies, one of whom had an injury to her arm and the other to her abdomen. According to the fire department, both women were transferred to a hospital.
Police-interviewed students claimed that “six persons were in three hammocks when the masonry column slid inward toward students,” according to a statement from Portland Fire & Rescue.