Apollo Theatre collapse: emergency services take bus loads of injured to hospital

Описание: Emergency services confirm that a full investigation is being carried out following the collapse of part of the roof of the Apollo theatre that left 76 people injured.

Hunks of plaster and dust rained down on a packed audience when the ceiling of a London theatre partially collapsed on Thursday night. More than 75 people were injured - seven seriously, authorities said.

The collapse at the Apollo Theatre took place around 8.15 pm during a performance of
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time at the height of the Christmas holiday season.

More than 700 people were in the theater at the time, according to the London Fire Brigade.

Officials said most of the injured were "walking wounded" with upper-body injuries, and that all are conscious and breathing.

Police and fire officials said it was too soon to say what had caused the partial collapse of the ceiling, but that a full investigation is being carried out.

Dust-covered theatregoers, many with bandaged heads, were treated by dozens of emergency workers in the street outside the Apollo and at a nearby theatre.

London buses were commandeered to usher some of the wounded to hospitals.

Initially, London Ambulance Service said more than 80 people had been injured. But noting that the initial situation was confusing, it later adjusted that number to say it had treated 76 patients, 58 of whom were taken to hospitals.

"Of those, 51 had suffered minor injuries and seven had suffered "more serious injuries."

There were no fatalities and none of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening, officials added.

Chief Superintendent Paul Rickett said that "so far, we know that a number of items of masonry have fallen down from the ceiling.

"There is no suggestion at this stage that this was as a result of a criminal act, however, at this stage we are keeping an open mind," he added.

Shaftesbury Avenue, normally one of London's busiest streets and teeming with pedestrians, was completely shut down by emergency workers.

The Apollo Theatre was built in 1901 and has 775 seats.


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