The freak event occurred at Flip Flops Dockside Eatery in Fort Lauderdale.
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- Visitors to a Florida waterfront restaurant swam to safety after a dining-area deck collapsed.
- The incident occurred at Flip Flops Dockside Eatery in Fort Lauderdale, per AP.
- Fire officials said the dock appeared to show signs of decay and they were investigating further.
A group of people dining at a Florida waterfront restaurant suddenly fell into the water after the deck below them collapsed, AP reported.
Two diners were injured as a result and had to be taken to a hospital.
The incident occurred at Flip Flops Dockside Eatery in Fort Lauderdale. Diners were eating outside when a chunk of the deck fell away, fire officials told local news reporters.
Flip Flops Dockside Eatery did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Following the collapse, at least three adults swam to a boat near the dock and were pulled out of the water by other people.
The dock appeared to have signs of decay. Fort Lauderdale fire rescue battalion chief Stephen Gollan told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. It also appeared that repairs had recently been carried out, he said.
According to WPLG Local 10, Fort Lauderdale building officials were investigating the structural integrity of the dock.
In a mission statement on its website, the restaurant states that it wants everyone “to feel at home and to relax.” It describes itself as a place where people can escape their worries “and chill out dockside watching the boats sail along the Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal while listening to the sounds of the islands.”
