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About 100 people
were inside the tent when a storm packing strong winds and large
hail moved through the town of Lancaster, 90 miles north of the
state capital of Concord, said State Fire Marshal Bill Degnan at
a press conference.
Two spectators were killed, Degnan said. He described them as a
"young gentleman" and a "young girl," but declined to give their
ages, saying their families were still being notified.
Fifteen people were taken to the area hospital with injuries,
Degnan said. More people might have been hurt and sought medical
help on their own, he added.
Degnan said the investigation into the collapse, which happened
around 5:30 p.m. local time, was in its early stages.
"These are fairly substantial structures when they are put up
and we haven't had any issues in the past," he said.
Florida-based Walker International Events was scheduled to put
on two shows on Monday night, Degnan said. A representative for
the company was not immediately available for comment.
New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan said on Twitter that the
State Emergency Operations Center has been activated and a
disaster response team was sent to Lancaster to help affected
individuals.
Thunderstorms had been forecast for the New Hampshire area on
Monday night. The Lancaster accident comes a day after high
winds blew over a tent at a music festival in the Chicago suburb
of Wood Dale, killing a 35-year-old man and injuring 15 others.
(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski in Chicago and Victoria Cavaliere
in Los Angeles; Editing by Eric Beech and Richard Pullin)
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