24 injured after deck collapses during NBA game

WASHINGTON - Twenty-four US NBA fans were injured, three critically, Thursday night when the back section of a restaurant and bar in Miami, Florida, collapsed into water, local media reported.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue received a call after a part of the outdoor patio deck of Shuckers Bar & Grill in North Bay Village, north of Miami Beach, collapsed into Biscayne Bay. There were about 100 people gathering on the deck to watch a NBA Finals match held in San Antonio between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, the reports said

Police and divers were immediately sent to the scene to rescue the victims, as an air rescue chopper was used for lighting to make sure all victims are out of the water. The victims were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment, according to the reports.

"At the time we received the call, eye witnesses said approximately there was 100 people on the deck give or take. When our divers arrived and our units arrived on scene, we were able to reach 24 victims and those are the victims we are treating at this time," Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officer Eugene Germain was quoted by local WSVN TV as saying.