Investigators are trying to establish what caused part of a ceiling to collapse at a London theatre injuring 76 people, seven of them seriously.

A large section of ornate plasterwork at the Apollo fell on to the audience during a production of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time.

Some reports suggested water began dripping through cracks in the ceiling before it came down.

The theatre's owner described the incident as "shocking and upsetting".

Some people suffered head, neck and back injuries when debris landed on them

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Graham Ellis of the London Fire Brigade said the plasterwork had fallen on to the upper circle, the dress circle and the stalls.
He said: "The injuries to the casualties that our colleagues have spoken about are consistent with that.

"We've manage to stabilise the situation inside the theatre. We're working closely with colleagues at Westminster City Council, their building surveyors."

The collapse happened at 20:15 GMT on Thursday when theatre was almost full, with 720 people watching the performance.

Of the 76 injured, 58 were taken to four London hospitals.

There were no life-threatening injuries.

(Source: BBC)