Guests fall in balcony collapse at Dartmoor hotel

Ten people have been injured after the collapse of a balcony at the historic Bovey Castle Hotel in Dartmoor National Park, Devon.

According to Metro the guests, who were staying in one of the hotel's holiday lodges, fell after the structure collapsed on Sunday evening.

There are conflicting reports as to how many feet they fell but the balcony was believed to be on the first floor.

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A spokesman for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called to assist the incident at around 6.54pm on Sunday.

A health and safety investigation has been launched, Teignbridge Council said.

The BBC reports that 14 people were on the balcony during an "impromtu party" when it collapsed.

A South Western Ambulance Service spokesman said: "There were 10 casualties in total and six were taken to hospital. The other four were walking wounded. None are seriously injured."

A spokesman for the Bovey Castle Hotel said they were taking the incident "extremely seriously".

The rescue service said that not all of those injured had been standing on the balcony at the time; some had been on ground level below.

"Eight people needed medical assistance but we don't have any update on their condition."

The Mirror reports that police are investigating the incident and none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.

Five-star Bovey Castle, which sits in 275 acres of land, was first opened as a hotel in 1930 and has 60 bedrooms available to guests.