MANILA, Philippines - Miss World Megan Young was unhurt but Miss World chairman Julia Morley had to undergo a five-and-a-half-hour hip surgery when the floor of an orphanage in Port Au Prince in Haiti they visited on Thursday collapsed.
A report on the website of Miss World said one of the children, identified as Jonathan, also suffered fractures when the floor caved in and landed eight to 10 feet below. The floor gave way when the children rushed to Young upon seeing her.
The website said Young also fell through the floor but managed to land on her feet.
“Despite the shock of the fall, Megan held on to her Miss World crown as the building collapsed around her. Miraculously, Young ensured that the crown remained undamaged despite all that was going on,†the report added.
Recounting the incident, Young, who is now in the US with her family, said she “felt like a deer in the headlights.â€
“We went into the orphanage hoping for a good day. I was happy that day and the children we were with seemed so full of energy and joy. We get onto this second floor platform, and we aren’t even there for a minute and we hear a crack and everybody falls through,†she said.
“I didn’t really know what had happened or what to do. We had all fallen down, but I was still on my feet. I had the crown in one hand and the other hand instinctively holding up one of the decks in place with two people. There were lots of kids under the decks still and we just instinctively held on. It was such a scary situation for me. It makes you realize there is so much more that should be done for these kids. It’s not the only orphanage out here in Port au Prince, and I am sure others are in a similar state,†the report also quoted her as saying.
Young expressed hope that Morley and Jonathan would recover soon. “My thoughts are with them at this time,†she said.