Some 88 people have been injured but there were no reports of fatalities in the collapse of part of the ornate plaster ceiling of the famous Apollo Theatre in central London. As many as seven are in hospital with serious injuries. There is said to have been about 700 people in the theatre at about 8.30 p.m. local time watching a performance of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime. Witnesses said a chunk of ceiling about 10 feet by 10 feet came crashing down on patrons underneath it. There was apparently little warning. One witness said some people had reported an odd creaking noise. A thunderstorm struck London about an hour before the incident but there is no known connection with the collapse. Witnesses said that after the immediate shock people behaved in a fairly orderly way. A London bus was used to accommodate theatre-goers and move them to hospitals to be checked. Shocked patrons were said to have shown little panic. Martin Bostock was in the audience with his family, and said “complete chaos” erupted in the theatre. “At first we thought it was part of the show,” he told Sky News. “Then I got hit on the head.” . Special search and rescue teams remain on the scene, along with ambulances and police. Pictures: Upper inset, theatre-goers in bus, centre inset, injured outside Apollo, lower inset, file picture of ornate ceiling taken this year. 88 hurt as theatre ceiling falls in London
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Some 88 people have been injured but there were no reports of fatalities in the collapse of part of the ornate plaster ceiling of the famous Apollo Theatre in central London. As many as seven are in hospital with serious injuries. There is said to have been about 700 people in the theatre at about 8.30 p.m. local time watching a performance of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime. Witnesses said a chunk of ceiling about 10 feet by 10 feet came crashing down on patrons underneath it. There was apparently little warning. One witness said some people had reported an odd creaking noise. A thunderstorm struck London about an hour before the incident but there is no known connection with the collapse. Witnesses said that after the immediate shock people behaved in a fairly orderly way. A London bus was used to accommodate theatre-goers and move them to hospitals to be checked. Shocked patrons were said to have shown little panic. Martin Bostock was in the audience with his family, and said “complete chaos” erupted in the theatre. “At first we thought it was part of the show,” he told Sky News. “Then I got hit on the head.” . Special search and rescue teams remain on the scene, along with ambulances and police. Pictures: Upper inset, theatre-goers in bus, centre inset, injured outside Apollo, lower inset, file picture of ornate ceiling taken this year. 