A wall of a Toronto theatre collapsed and hit an adjoining school today, trapping some people, including children, and injuring others.
Rescuers said it was too soon to tell if anyone was killed in the incident at the historic Uptown Theatre and Yorkville English Academy, which teaches English mostly to adults and teenagers in the Canadian city.
"We have people in the rubble," said Toronto Fire Chief Bill Stewart, adding that five construction workers in the theatre were among those treated for injuries.
"It's going to take an immense amount of time to get into the rubble and shore it up," Stewart said.
Police Chief Julian Fantino said "the situation is precarious at best and dangerous for the rescue operation people.
He said the busy nature of the site's location made it difficult to determine exactly how many people may have been caught in the collapse.
Toronto city councillor Kyle Rae said the building's owner had visited the site on Sunday and expressed "concerns over safety problems.
The wall, that was being demolished, belonged to the Uptown Theatre, which opened in 1920 as a cinema and a live stage show venue, is considered a historic site and was the subject of an unsuccessful campaign to stop its demolition.