Terrace collapse at Ohio winery injures dozens

July 1, 2000
Web posted at: 6:35 p.m. EDT (2235 GMT)

MIDDLE BASS, Ohio (CNN) -- Dozens of people were injured on Saturday when a terrace collapsed at a popular winery on Ohio's Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie.

Initial estimates at the Lonz Winery put the number of injured at 60 to 100, according to John Blatt, mayor of nearby Put-in-Bay, Ohio.

"They're digging them out and rescuing them," Blatt said. "We have no information on deaths."

Coast Guard units and paramedic units from northwest Ohio were being called to help, he said. The island is about 5 miles off the mainland.

The deck collapsed into the basement of Lonz Winery, a 15- to 20-foot drop, Blatt said. "It was a busy day."

The winery, which dates from the Civil War, is usually crowded in the summer with tourists who come for the wine tastings.

Officials alerted the staff at Firelands Hospital, in Sandusky,Ohio, Magruder Hospital, in Fort Clinton, Ohio, St. Vincent's Hospital, in Toledo, Ohio and Cleveland Metro Hospital to prepare for victims.

"I think they'll all be used," Blatt said.

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Lonz Winery

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