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Thirteen people were injured Saturday when a London bar’s mezzanine floor collapsed “in a matter of seconds” in an incident that sounded “like an earthquake,” according to authorities and reports.
Emergency responders were called to the scene at Two More Years bar in the Hackney Wick neighborhood in east London at 4:44 p.m. local time, London Ambulance Services announced on Twitter.
“We declared a major incident and dispatched a number of resources to the scene,” said London Ambulance Service strategic commander Brian Jordan in a press release.
Medics treated 13 people, three of whom suffered potentially serious injuries and 10 with minor injuries, according to the service. Authorities said four of the injured were rushed to local hospitals, and about 50 bar patrons left the building before emergency responders arrived at the scene.
It was unclear from initial reports what caused the mezzanine floor to collapse.
Witnesses said the floor caving in came without warning.
“There was just this sort of cracking sort of noise and dust started coming down,” a man who was at the bar told Sky News.
“Me and my friend just ran to the side and the whole thing just came down in a matter of seconds.”
Hal — a mental health worker and therapist who was on the mezzanine floor when it collapsed — told the BBC about the “rumbling” he heard before the collapse.
“It sounded like a rumbling — a bit like an earthquake. You can’t be prepared for anything like this,” he said. Hal told the outlet he avoided any major injuries.
“Thankfully I was able to heave myself out,” he said. “We all helped each other out.”
“There was just this sort of cracking sort of noise and dust started coming down,” another witness told the BBC.
“Me and my friend just ran to the side and the whole thing just came down in a matter of seconds.”
LFB station commander Sacha Clement, who was at the scene, told Sky News that “firefighters carried out a systematic search of the building and rescued seven people from inside.
“They were trapped on the remaining part of the mezzanine floor and crews used a ladder to bridge between the floor and the internal staircase to get them safely out of the building,” Clement added. “We are working with our emergency services partners, and a number of people have been treated at the scene and taken to hospital.”
On its Instagram account, Two more Years announced said the venue would be closed “for now,”
“Our thoughts are with everyone that has been affected,” the post continued.
The venue is located close to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the complex built for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and The River Lea. Two more Years Bar has “11 studios for local creatives to rent at affordable prices,” according to its website.
The bar, named for the amount of time on its lease, is soon set to be redeveloped, the site notes.
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