Shocking new footage has emerged of the moment a balcony collapsed under dozens of Sydney school leavers who were partying at a beachfront rental.
About 40 teenagers were crammed onto a small balcony at the group’s ocean-view getaway in the coastal town of Vincentia on the New South Wales south coast when the wooden platform suddenly buckled shortly before midnight on Saturday.
In the video, filmed amid a crowd of revelers on the balcony, the teenagers can be seen jumping and dancing to loud music with their hands raised in the air.
A girl can be seen sitting on the shoulders of another partygoer.
But then their boisterous singing suddenly turned into terrified screams and panicked screams as the wooden platform gave way.
Partygoers can be heard cursing as the screen spins and then fades to black.
‘Oh my god!’ A girl can be heard screaming repeatedly.
Footage of the ensuing chaos showed frantic partygoers surrounding their injured friends lying on the ground.
The video shows the wild party in full swing before the balcony collapsed, leaving four teenagers in hospital.
‘Bro, what the fuck!’ a surprised partygoer says in the background
Four teenagers, a man and three women, were taken to hospital with injuries to their legs and back, while 10 others escaped with minor injuries.
Earlier on Sunday, the collapsed balcony remained cordoned off as partygoers surveyed the damage and began cleaning up after a chaotic night.
Most of the balcony railings remained intact and clothes were still hanging from them as the collapsed wooden platform rested against the side of the property.
Shocked locals told Daily Mail Australia they were relieved no one had been killed or seriously maimed in the horror collapse that disrupted the party and left the teenagers tumbling in a chaotic mass in the rental’s backyard.
The group had initially been booked to stay at the sprawling three-bedroom property for a New Year’s Eve party as part of their ‘Schoolies’ celebrations, but many left early on Sunday when their parents arrived at the venue.
“We could hear the music playing and suddenly all hell broke loose,” a neighbor told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It was like ‘boom!’ …you could hear him collapsing and the screams; The next thing you know there are sirens blaring and the whole scene lit up.
“It’s fortunate that no one was seriously injured.” I don’t know who will have to pay for the damages.
“I imagine they will have liability insurance since this is a rental, but who knows how that will turn out.”
Footage of the ensuing chaos shows frantic partygoers helping their injured colleagues.
The teens were still cleaning up the scene at lunchtime Sunday when their parents began arriving to inspect the damage.
A trio of teenagers staying at the property greeted Daily Mail Australia with shy smiles as they cleaned the house on Sunday morning after the wild party.
“We’re from western Sydney and have been here relaxing after finishing school,” one explained.
Around 40 teams were partying on the balcony of their rental when it gave way around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“I wouldn’t say last night was a wild party, but it was a good party, right up until the balcony broke.”
They were soon brought back inside by their parents, who were helping them deal with the aftermath of the shocking incident.
Outside, the property’s beachfront lawn was littered with beer bottles from the night before, as a group of teenagers still surveyed the extensive damage and shared stories about the lunchtime collapse, even as others packed their bags. and they left.
Neighbors said the group of recently graduated schoolchildren had been “polite” and “respectful” during their stay and had even invited the entire street to their party.
Known as ‘Seaside Reflections,’ the house is located on Elizabeth Drive in Vincentia, along a stretch of road lined with vacation rentals, just south of Huskisson.
While some children began to leave on Sunday, others stayed and shared stories about the collapse.
An online listing notes that the “split-level oceanfront home overlooking Collingwood Beach” offers “sun, surf and water views” and sleeps eight comfortably for $280 a night.
It boasts that the property offers “spectacular views of Jervis Bay” and that the master bedroom has a “private balcony with stair access to the rear patio/beach.”
Many of the properties directly adjacent to the house were still empty at the weekend, and locals noted that the busy tourist season doesn’t usually start until closer to Christmas.
Longtime resident Ben McKenzie, who lives across the street, said he had helped the teens survey the damage Sunday morning and described the group as “a big group of kids.”
“Most of the houses on the street are still empty this time of year, but they still went door to door and let everyone know they were having a party,” he said.
‘They didn’t start until later in the evening because I think everyone had gone out to the pub for dinner.
“They let everyone know they would be playing some music and invited everyone to come and have a drink if they wanted – it’s certainly not like they were partying or partying from six o’clock or something.”
A group of teenagers survey the damage after their wild house party ended in disaster over the weekend.
“They said they’d turn off the music at midnight, but they didn’t even get a chance to go on that long because around 11:30 p.m., when they were all on the balcony, the damn thing collapsed.”
McKenzie said he felt “sorry for them” and that they seemed to be a “great group of kids” celebrating the end of their school years.
‘It must have been a shock. “I am especially sorry for the young people who were injured,” he said.
“They told me one of them had broken his ankle, another had dislocated his shoulder and a couple more were left with abrasions.”
Another neighbor, three doors up, was unaware of the incident when approached by Daily Mail Australia while they were having lunch on their terrace on Sunday, saying the music had not been loud enough to wake them from their sleep.
They said they were glad no one was seriously hurt, but questioned whether the property owners knew their venue was hosting a New Year’s Eve party for more than 40 teenagers.
One of the partygoers was seen limping around the house as the parents traveled to and from the rented house Sunday morning and helped their children pack.
“At approximately 11.30pm on Saturday 30 November 2024, emergency services were called to a home on Elizabeth Drive in Vincentia, following reports of a balcony collapse,” a NSW Police spokesperson said. .
‘Officers from South Coast Police District were told that approximately 40 people, all of them teenagers, were on the balcony when it collapsed.
“Four people, three women and one man, were injured and were treated at the scene by ambulance paramedics for minor injuries and taken to hospital for further treatment.”