21 Teenagers Injured in Walkway Collapse at Beach Park in Texas

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Five were airlifted from Surfside Beach, Texas, to a Houston hospital, and 16 were being treated locally, officials said. They were at a summer camp run by a church when the walkway collapsed.

By Livia Albeck-Ripka

Five teenagers were airlifted to a hospital and 16 others were also injured when part of an elevated walkway collapsed on Thursday at a park in Surfside Beach, Texas, city officials said.

None of the teenagers sustained life-threatening injuries, the city said.

The teenagers, ages 14 to 18, were visiting from Cypress, Tomball and Spring Branch, outside of Houston. They were there as part of a summer camp run by the Bayou City Fellowship, city officials said in a news release.

Officials said that the collapse occurred at about 1 p.m. at Stahlman Park, a seaside recreation area with access to the beach and views of the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal community of Surfside Beach is about 60 miles south of Houston.

"The cause of the incident is still under investigation," city officials said in a statement.

Five teenagers were airlifted to Memorial Hermann hospital in Houston, the city said. Six of the teenagers were taken to local hospitals by ambulance, and about 10 others were taken by private vehicle.

Reached by telephone on Thursday evening, a spokesman at Memorial Hermann hospital said that he did not have further information about the condition of the teenagers.

Livia Albeck-Ripka is a reporter for The Times based in California. She was previously a reporter in the Australia bureau. @livia_ar

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