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Busy Miami Restaurant's Deck Crashes Into Water

Dozens hurt in collapse during Heat game
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 14, 2013 3:43 AM CDT
Busy Miami Restaurant's Deck Crashes into Water
Miami-Dade fire rescue personnel at the scene where a packed outdoor deck collapsed Thursday June 13, 2013.   (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Miami Heat fans got far more than they bargained for as they watched last night's game at the crowded Shuckers Waterfront Grill. The restaurant's deck—where 100 people were gathered—collapsed just before halftime, taking dozens with it, the Miami Herald reports. Police and firefighters hurried to the rescue. Some two dozen people were injured, with 15 hospitalized and two in serious condition; another person may be missing, officials said, and a rainy search was on.

"There was just a crack, and then we were in the water," said a diner. The deck was some five feet above water that was shallow enough to allow standing, she noted, but victims had to make their way through debris ranging from wood to tables to umbrellas. To add to the confusion, the restaurant lost power, leaving the scene in the dark. "You're sitting there watching the game, you're complaining about Wade not making his baskets and Bosh not getting any rebounds and next thing you know, there's this huge noise, the landscape just disappears," said a local man. (More Miami stories.)

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