Casualties in London theatre collapse

Photo: Google Maps

Part of the Apollo Theatre in London collapsed during a performance Thursday.

A theatre in central London partially collapsed Thursday night during a performance at the height of the Christmas season, with police saying there were "a number" of casualties.

It wasn't immediately clear if the roof, ceiling or balcony collapsed at the Apollo Theatre during a performance of "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime."

Police said officers were called to reports of a ceiling collapse at the theatre on Shaftsbury Avenue in central London. It said police "are aware of a number of casualties," but had no further details.

Witnesses told British media that the theatre in London's famous West End was packed during the holiday season to see the show, which is based on the bestselling novel by Mark Haddon.

"We thought it was part of the show, until something hit me on the head very hard," one man told the BBC, speaking from the foyer of the theatre while he was being evaluated by emergency workers. "I thought we were all going to be in really, really serious trouble."

"Within an instant, the entire roof caved in," another witness told the BBC.

London's fire department said eight engines are on the scene in the SoHo neighbourhood, and the city's ambulance service said it had sent "a number" of crews to the theatre.

Martin Bostock was in the audience with his family, and said "complete chaos" erupted in the theatre.

The Apollo Theatre, named for the Greek and Roman god Apollo, god of music and the arts, was built in 1901 and has 775 seats.

London was hit by a freak thunderstorm about 7 p.m. that dumped heavy rain on the city, but it wasn't immediately clear if that was related to the collapse.