April 21 (UPI) — Two children were killed and nine others seriously injured during a child’s birthday party at a Michigan boat club Saturday when a 66-year-old woman drove through the building where the party was happening, officials said.
The victims, an 8-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother, died when the woman drove through the venue around 3 p.m. on Saturday, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The party was taking place at the Swan Boat Club in Newport on Saturday when the car crashed through the building and stopped about 25 feet inside.
The driver, a 66-year-old woman believed to have been intoxicated, was taken into police custody and is being held at the Monroe County Jail, authorities said.
The children were pronounced dead at the scene, Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said at a news conference on Saturday, according to CNN.
Medics provided first-aid to 15 victims, nine of whom were transported by ambulance or helicopter to area hospitals, according to a news release from Goodnough’s office. Other victims transported themselves to seek medical care.
Goodnough said during the news conference that three other children and six adults sustained “serious life-threatening injuries.”
“The scene was described by the first responders as ‘extremely chaotic,‘ with [a] high level of emotions of those directly involved and those who witnessed the horrific incident,” Goodnough said during the news conference.
Doorbell video camera footage shows a black SUV racing through the parking lot before crashing into the venue.
