New Hampshire Walker Brothers Circus tent collapse kills 2 and injures many

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Walker Brothers Circus was going to hold two shows in Lancaster
Around 250 people were said to be inside the tent before it came down
Governor Maggie Hassan declared state of emergency
One mother said that her stepdaughters had exited the structure five minutes before it came

By Christopher Brennan For Dailymail.com

Published: 21:21 EST, 3 August 2015 | Updated: 05:20 EST, 4 August 2015

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At least two people have died after a circus tent in New Hampshire collapsed on those inside of it, according to authorities.

The tent at the fairgrounds in Lancaster was battered by severe weather on Monday evening and 15 more people taken to hospitals after being injured in the accident, according to the New Hampshire Department of Safety.

One of the dead is said to be a 6-year-old girl.

'There were a lot of casualties. Some of them were able to go to the hospital themselves without the use of an ambulance,' local councilman Leo Enos said.

Residents of the small town of roughly 3,500 rushed to the scene of the accident as they searched for loved ones who had gone to the circus before the tent collapsed sometime shortly after 5.30pm.

Amanda Anderson, 25, told Daily Mail Online that her two stepdaughters, 11 and 12, had been at the Walker Bros Circus event but walked out of the event five minutes before the tent fell.

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Two people died Monday night after severe weather in New Hampshire caused a circus tent to collapse. Above, emergency vehicles respond to the scene.

Fifteen people of an estimated 250 inside the tent were injured when the big top came down. Above, a picture of the tent during a day with better weather

Roughly 250 people were thought to have been inside the tent for a performance when it came down during a storm that was forecast to include hail, high winds and thunder, according to New Hampshire Union Leader.

It is thought that winds of more than 60mph were sweeping through the area at the time of the collapse.

Anderson said that her stepdaughters left the tent with their birth mother after those inside became wary of sitting in the structure through the storm.

She said that those who stayed and survived told her that the tent had been lifted up off the ground by winds before falling back to Earth.

The Colebrook Chronicle reported that one attendee asked circus workers if the tent was safe and was told that it was shortly before the collapse.

Walker Brothers did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Daily Mail Online.

Two performances from the circus were scheduled at the Lancaster fairgrounds for 5.30pm and 7.30pm Monday evening.

Anderson said that she and her partner Sonny, a firefighter, had been planning on going to the 5.30 show before he was scheduled for an extra work training.

Amanda Anderson said that her stepdaughters had been in the tent until five minutes before it collapsed and that she and her partner had planned to go before a last minute change in plans

A heavy storm moved through the northern New Hampshire area on Monday evening, with some forecasts saying that it brought hail as well as high winds

His training ended up being cancelled, and he rushed to help evacuate victims from the collapsed tent after being called in.

Relatives and friends waited outside a chain link fence around the fairgrounds as those who were able to walk away streamed out,

Anderson waited nervously outside, though she did not find out that her stepdaughters were OK until around 7pm via a message from their friend.

First responders and police helped evacuate those inside the tent as a host of emergency vehicles could be seen at the fairground.

Multiple fire departments from Lancaster and surrounding towns responded to the collapse.

New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan said on Twitter that the state's emergency operations center was open and a disaster response team was sent to the area.

Complicating rescue efforts was the fact that the road to one nearby hospital in St Johnsbury, Route 2, had been closed because of fallen streets. Ambulances were forced to take an alternate route.