HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) - Seven construction workers tumbled into Lake Michigan when an enclosed walkway at a floating casino came loose as it was being attached to the new Horseshoe Casino in Hammond.

Hammond's chief fire inspector Kevin Margraf says five workers were on a barge using sledgehammers to adjust a shoring attached to the metal passageway for the new casino, and two others were inside the walkway working on hydraulic lifts.

He says the barge shifted beneath the structure, causing the walkway to fall. The two workers inside the walkway were thrown into the lake while the five workers below them jumped or fell into the water. After the workers fell, nine others jumped into the water to help them.

Margraf says one of the men was taken to a hospital with pain in his shoulder, but he was later released. Several of the other 16 were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

---