Officials: Mom dies in Mercer County house collapse, shields teen daughter

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. - A woman was killed and her two daughters were injured following a house collapse in Hamilton Township Monday morning.

The victim who was killed was identified as a 38-year-old Tika Justice. Her surviving daughters, a 16- and 20-year-old, are now hospitalized.

It's not clear what caused the collapse that killed Justice, whose body was found on top of her 16-year-old daughter. Emergency responders helped rescue the 20-year-old daughter shortly after they arrived on the 1800 block of South Broad Street. Crews reportedly heard screams coming from the center of the rental home.

The 20-year-old daughter was the one to make the 911 call around 7 a.m., originally reporting that the family heard cracking. When first responders arrived on the scene, the house collapsed.

Both daughters are listed in serious but stable condition.

The cause of the collapse remains under investigation.

VIDEO: Rescue efforts underway after house collapse in Mercer County