London (CNN) — A rescue operation was under way Thursday after part of the ceiling in the Apollo Theatre in central London collapsed during a performance, trapping people inside and causing casualties, Metropolitan Police said.
Authorities responded to a report of a ceiling collapse at about 8:15 p.m., police said in a tweet, adding, “We are aware of a number of casualties but we have no further detail at this early stage.”
The Press Association said witnesses saw people emerging from the building covered in dust.
Fire trucks arrived at the theater, which is located next to Picadilly Circus in the heart of the city, though there was no indication of fire.
Paramedics arrived carrying stretchers as police cordoned off the area.
The theater’s website said “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” had been playing,” which it described as “a thrilling new stage play from the National Theatre.”
Ticket prices at the theater, which opened its doors in 1901 and whose 775 seats are arrayed on four levels, included a 1 pound “theatre restoration levy,” the website said.
It is owned and operated by Nimax Theatres.
