Two children were killed and over a dozen people were injured after a driver crashed into a Michigan boat club where a birthday party was taking place, authorities say.
The incident took place at Swan Boat Club in the Charter Township of Berlin at around 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Two siblings, a 5-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl, were killed.
At least 15 people were wounded in total. Six adults and three children had life-threatening injuries and were being treated as of Saturday night.
A Michigan State Police spokesman told Fox News Digital that the driver of the vehicle, a 66-year-old woman, was intoxicated at the time. The car plunged 25 feet into the building.
A car crashed into the Swan Boat Club at around 3 p.m. on Saturday, authorities say. (Google Maps)
Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough choked up multiple times at Saturday night’s press conference as he described the gruesome scene.
“The scene was just described by the first responders as is extremely chaotic, with high level of emotions of those directly involved and those who witnessed this horrific incident,” he said.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Goodnough called the situation “tragic” and confirmed that a child’s birthday party was being held at the boat club at the time.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that a vehicle drove through a building where a children’s [sic] birthday celebration was taking place, seriously injuring a number of people, both children and adults,” the statement read. “The victims have been transported to several area hospitals.”
In a Facebook post. Swan Boat Club announced that it was temporarily shuttering because of the incident.
“In light of the emergency please do not try to come to Swan Boat Club at the moment so emergency vehicles can get through,” the boat club said in a post. “At this time the club is closed until further notice.”
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the incident. (Google Maps)
“Please keep everyone involved in your thoughts and prayers. We thank everyone for their concern and prayers,” the business added.
Authorities are actively investigating the incident and are bringing criminal charges against the suspect, who is being held at Monroe County Jail. No additional details are known at this time.