Terrifying moment wedding dance floor caves in sending bride, groom and congregation tumbling 13ft during Italian ceremony
This is the terrifying moment a dance floor collapses during a wedding party in a 15th-century Tuscan monastery, sending the bride, groom and their guests tumbling more than 13 feet.
Video shows the wedding party, including newlyweds Paolo Mugnaini and Valeria Ybarra, both 26, dancing the night away in the Italian venue.
But seconds after the footage is viewed, a gaping hole can be seen in the floor, causing dozens of guests to tumble into the room below.
As the dust settles, shocked partygoers can be seen staring into the hole as injured guests scream in fear as they lie among the rubble and plaster.
Mugnaini and Ybarra spent their wedding night together with many of their friends in the hospital, with about thirty guests requiring treatment.
Guests said it felt like an earthquake when the gaping hole opened and guests fell, landing in front of a fresco of the Last Supper.
Video shows the wedding party, including newlyweds Paolo Mugnaini and Valeria Ybarra, both 26, dancing the night away in the Italian venue
Guests said it felt like an earthquake when the gaping hole opened and they plunged into the room below, falling into rubble and plaster in front of a fresco of the Last Supper. In the photo: the scene
Newlyweds Paolo Mugnaini and Valeria Ybarra, both 26, (pictured together) spent their wedding night in hospital alongside many of their friends, with around 40 partygoers reportedly requiring medical treatment
One guest described the scene as ‘apocalyptic’ and said a ‘dense cloud of smoke’ billowed as the floor gave way before people were heard screaming in pain.
Police and fire brigades responded to the historic Convento di Giaccherino wedding venue in Pistoia on January 13, and hospitals in the region were put on high alert.
Now the couple has filed a complaint against the location with local prosecutors and turned over the images as evidence.
The incident is being investigated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Pistoia for causing injury through negligence.
Prosecutors have since closed the building and are investigating its structural integrity.
There were no fatalities in the disaster and many of those hospitalized were later discharged, while six were in a serious condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
Most of the 200 guests at the couple’s lavish wedding had left the venue when the collapse occurred.
The majority of the partygoers left behind are believed to be young friends of Mr Mugnaini and Ms Ybarra, a student from Houston, Texas.
The groom, a teacher from Florence, told La Repubblica at the time: ‘We found ourselves being sucked down while we were dancing. It was panic.
‘Then there was just dust and rubble, we couldn’t see anything. Next to me was a friend of mine who fainted and bled a lot.’
The couple, who were given beds next to each other at San Jacopo Hospital, added: ‘We were very scared, our wedding night was spent in the emergency room.’
An onlooker said it was ‘heartbreaking’ to see the couple in hospital with the bride’s wedding dress hanging up on what should have been a happy occasion.
The pair were later released from hospital after health checks, broadcaster Rai reported.
Mugnaini’s father, who has not been named, told local media: “It happened while people were dancing. I immediately tried to help.”
Carabinieri police Lieutenant Colonel Ruben Ruggeri said: ‘Luckily no one was underneath because a lot of very heavy equipment fell along with the people.’
Tuscan President Eugenio Giani said after the incident: ‘It could have been a terrible tragedy. I would like to thank all the care providers and medical staff involved.’
The families who own the monastery describe it as a “tragic and unpredictable event,” according to the local news channel ReportPistoia.
They expressed their sorrow over the incident to the families involved, adding that they will cooperate with authorities in investigating the incident.