Chaos and panic at Apollo theatre collapse in London
21 Dec Sky News
Nearly 80 people were injured, nine seriously, when part of a theatre
ceiling collapsed during a packed West End show in London. Eyewitnesses
described “chaos and panic” as 10 sq m of plaster and masonry crashed on
to people seated in the stalls 40 minutes into a performance of The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
They said there was a loud creaking before the cave-in, which left
the Apollo Theatre engulfed in thick dust and debris. One witness
reported hearing an actor yell “watch out” to the audience.Structural
engineers and a district surveyor from Westminster City Council are
carrying out a structural assessment of the building. They are due to
give an update on their investigation this afternoon. Some onlookers
said water dripped through the ceiling before the collapse, raising
speculation that heavy rain may be one line of inquiry.
There were storms and lightning strikes in the capital at the time of
the incident. Nimax Theatres, which owns the Apollo, described the
collapse as a “shocking and upsetting incident”, and said its thoughts
were “with the audience and staff”.
Police commandeered three London buses to take the injured to
hospital, many of whom were described as “walking wounded”.
A makeshift triage centre was set up at the nearby Gielgud
Theatre.London Ambulance Service said it treated 79 patients, of whom 56
were taken to four hospitals. Of those, 47 had suffered minor injuries
and nine more serious injuries. Chief Superintendent Paul Rickett, of
the Metropolitan Police, said there was “no suggestion at this stage
that (the collapse) was as a result of a criminal act”. There were
around 720 people watching the show when disaster struck at 8.15pm on
Thursday night.Martin Bostock, who was in the lower stalls with his
family, received a head injury after he was hit by falling debris.
He told: “It was just terrifying and awful. I think the front part of
the balcony fell down.
At first we thought it was part of the show. Then I got hit on the
head.It was complete chaos in the theatre. We got out with cuts and
bruises.
I think most people did.” School worker Hannah George, 29, said: “I
heard someone scream and you heard a shriek then a chunk of the ceiling
collapsed. It actually missed the balcony and must have hit people down
below in the stalls you couldn't see anything down there. Very quickly
ushers held the doors open. It wasn't every man for himself, it was very
ordered. There were people in front going, ‘You OK?’ and trying to get
people out.
“There were people coming out who were more seriously injured.
There were loads of people coming out shaking, and a fellow next to
me had quite a badly bleeding arm and a ripped shirt.” The collapse took
place as a reference was made to waves crashing on Brighton rocks,
leading some in the audience to believe the noise was part of the show.
Mark Haddon, author of the book which the play is based on, tweeted: “I
hope that those who were seriously injured are ok.
I'm sorry, too, that so many people went through such a terrifying
experience. I'm hugely relieved that no-one has died.Mark Tait, an actor
in the production, tweeted: “Thoughts are with all the audience.
Horrific and unbelievable.”
The Society of London Theatre - which represents producers and
theatre owners - said in a statement: “The exact cause of the incident
is still being investigated and the theatre owners, Nimax, are working
closely with the relevant authorities to establish exactly what
happened.
“Our theatres entertain over 32,000 people in central London every
night and all theatres take the safety of their audience, performers and
staff very seriously. Every theatre undergoes rigorous safety checks and
inspections by independent experts, and incidents like last night are
extremely rare. The theatre a Grade II-listed building was completed in
1901 and seats 775 people over four levels.
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