The floors of the historic Greater St. James AME Church gave out during a funeral, causing nearly a dozen attendees to fall down a 4-foot hole. Image: Google Street View.
The weight of the mourners caused the wood floors of Greater St. James AME Church in Hammond, La., to crack and then give way, according to witnesses. The wood floors and beams of the 93-year-old church were reportedly infested with termites and were worn from “years of neglect.”
Nearly a dozen people were rescued by the local fire department following the collapse, sustaining mostly minor injuries. Two people were transported by ambulance to the hospital.
The church building dates back to 1925 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. The city of Hammond closed the building following the incident.
