A collapsed tent sits in a parking lot in the 5600 block of West 73rd Street Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Bedford Park, Chicago. Police say a number of people were injured. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune via AP)
A collapsed tent sits in a parking lot in the 5600 block of West 73rd Street Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Bedford Park, Chicago. Police say a number of people were injured. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune via AP)
BEDFORD PARK, Ill. (AP) — A tent collapse in suburban Chicago injured at least 26 people, police said.
Five of those hurt had serious injuries, Bedford Park Police Chief Tom Hansen said.
The tent collapsed around 10:45 a.m. in the parking lot of a business, Hansen told local news outlets.
The tent was being used for an event being hosted in the parking lot, he said.
“The Bedford Park Fire Department, along with multiple Fire Department agencies from surrounding jurisdictions, transported twenty-six patients to area hospitals for treatment,†police said in a news release.
Police said the cause of the collapse was under investigation.
Photos from the scene showed the large tent partially collapsed and partially still standing next to many tables set up with chairs.
The parking lot was outside a Cintas Uniform Services store in Bedford Park, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.
Cintas issued a statement saying several employees were injured during the incident at an employee appreciation event.
"We are cooperating with local officials to determine the cause of the incident. Cintas will continue to monitor the situation and do everything we can to assist our employee-partners during this time,†the statement said.
