Apollo Theatre's roof collapses

The roof of the Grade II-listed Apollo theatre in London's West End has collapsed with with seven audience members taken to hospital with "more serious injuries". Eyewitnesses described the "chaos and panic" as a theatre "began to crumble down" around them, leaving scores of people injured. More than 40 people are described as "walking wounded" after masonry plummeted into the stalls below, striking members of the packed audience and filling the theatre with clouds of thick dust. A capacity audience of more than 700 people was inside the theatre, in Shaftesbury Avenue, which was 45 minutes into the National Theatre's performance of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time. Witnesses spoke of creaking and water dripping from the roof before plaster, large planks and masonry fell onto the stage left side front seating of the Balcony, Upper circle, Dress circle and Stalls.