London theatres sought yesterday to reassure visitors about the safety of their buildings after the ceiling collapsed onto the audience at a packed show, injuring 76 people. A sell-out crowd of 720 people was in the Apollo Theatre on Thursday night when 10sq m of ornate plaster and masonry fell from the ceiling, taking a section of the balcony with it and hitting audience members below. An investigation is now under way, with one line of inquiry likely to focus on a thunderstorm and heavy rain that fell shortly before the ceiling fell in shortly after 8pm (2000 GMT). Witnesses said that they heard creaking noises in the 112-year-old theatre but thought it was part of the performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Then debris and dust filled the air, sending coughing, terrified theatregoers – many of them families enjoying a pre-Christmas treat – fleeing for the exits. Rescuers commandeered three red London double-decker buses to transport the wounded, many of them with head injuries. Ambulance staff said that they treated 76 patients, taking 58 to hospital, including a number of children. Seven people had serious but not life-threatening injuries. A surveyor who examined the theatre overnight said the roof was secure, but the local authority is still investigating. “We will not know the cause of the incident until all investigations have been completed but checks are ongoing,” said Councillor Nickie Aiken of Westminster Council. “This appears to be an isolated incident, but we will continue to work with theatres throughout the day to ensure that all safety precautions are in place.” Aiken refused to comment on whether Thursday night’s severe weather could have been behind the collapse saying only that the investigation would leave “no stone unturned”. Forecasters have said there was an unusually high concentration of rain as well as hail and lightning strikes just before the ceiling collapse. Police said there was no sign that the collapse was the “result of a criminal act” but added that they were keeping an “open mind”. Mark Haddon, the author of the book on which the play is based, tweeted that he was “hugely relieved” that no-one had died in the incident. All historic theatres are required to have their roofs checked every three years, and industry figures stressed that visitors to other theatres need not be concerned. The Apollo cancelled all performances until January 4 but other shows across the capital will continue as normal, the Society of London Theatres said. Plays and musicals are big business in London, enjoyed by estimated 2mn foreign visitors last year, according to the Visit Britain tourism agency. Christmas is a particularly busy time, and the producers will anxiously be watching for any sign that the Apollo incident might scare off visitors. A Society spokesman said all the major theatre owners held an emergency meeting yesterday morning where they confirmed their safety certificates were all up to date. They said that they would “co-operate fully with the authorities to reassure the public that their theatres are safe”, he said. Nimax Theatres, which owns the Apollo, said that the ceiling collapse was a “shocking and upsetting incident”. Witnesses recounted the terror when the ceiling fell from the Edwardian-era theatre, which has three tiers of balconies, the uppermost of which is said to be the steepest in London. Audience member James Kearney, who was given a ticket to the show as a present, recounted seeing “people with blood on their heads”. His companion Dee Stephenson said there was so much dust afterwards they had to feel their way out. “Everybody was in a trance-like state. A lot of people were in absolute shock. We were extremely fortunate,” she said. Pictures from inside the theatre showed wooden beams and masonry piled on top of rows of dust-covered red seats. A fire service spokesman said yesterday that a 10sq m area of the theatre’s main plaster ceiling fell down, landing on the balconies and some of the main stalls. Desmond Thomas, 18, part of a school party watching the show, said that they heard noises before the accident. “Maybe 10 minutes into the performance we heard a tap-tap noise, we thought it was rain,” he told AFP. “There was a crack and then it suddenly seemed to get bigger and suddenly it collapsed. The next thing we knew the whole theatre filled with dust and smoke.” Prime Minister David Cameron said that he was “grateful for the fast work of the emergency services in helping the injured”. Some of those hurt were treated in triage centres set up in the lobbies of the nearby Gielgud and Queen’s theatres. “In the finest traditions of Theatreland, they very quickly rallied around,” said fire brigade spokesman Graham Ellis.
latest police statement, more than 80 people were injured, four of them seriously, when a roof collapsed during a play at the Apollo on Thursday night.
Pedestrians walk pass the Apollo Theatre in London, yesterday. According to the