Customers and staff at a Pizza Express restaurant in Salford Quays narrowly escaped injury when the ceiling collapsed on Sunday. The incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. inside the Quayside shopping centre.
A worker reported hearing a “massive bang” followed by the ceiling coming down. Diners at the neighboring Turtle Bay restaurant noticed smoke and felt the floor shaking just before the collapse.
The fire alarm triggered the evacuation of the building. Footage from the scene showed a large portion of the ceiling falling from the first floor to the ground.
Emergency services, including paramedics, police, and fire crews, arrived quickly. By the evening, other parts of the shopping centre were reopened.
The Pizza Express location is situated below a Virgin Active gym. A staff member mentioned that loud noises from dropped weights at the gym had been heard previously.
The staff member described the chaos: “People just got up and ran out. There were children screaming. It was the scariest thing I’ve been through. Everyone was trying to get out through the front and main centre.”
One person was reportedly injured but not seriously. Pizza Express emphasized that customer and staff safety is a top priority and is cooperating with authorities in the investigation.