CINEMA CEILING FALLS

Water gushes from the sprinkler system in the ceiling of Cinema 5 Ayala Center during an exclusive movie screening for BPO employees past 8 p.m. in the video taken by a moviegoer. At left, mall employees mop up after the incident.(VIDEO GRAB FROM FACEBOOK AND CDN PHOTO/ADOR MAYOL)

6 injured by flying debris; water pours from sprinkler system before panels collapse

Six people were injured when part of the ceiling of Cinema 5 of Ayala Center Cebu suddenly collapsed amid torrents of water from a busted sprinkler system past 8 p.m. last night.

About 350 people were inside the cinema for an exclusive movie screening for Dreamscape Networks, a business process outsourcing company.

While the event was going on, water started to drip then pour from the ceiling, said Carlo Florentino, a company employee.

“Nagtuo ko og nag-uwan (I thought it was raining.). After that the ceiling collapsed,” he said.

The injuries were mostly minor cuts caused by flying debris, said a source in the paramedics team that arrived. The gushing water came from “a leaking sprinkler system” said the source.

Employees rushed out of the cinema but not immediately. Several thought the dripping water was “part of the gimmick” of the night’s entertainment and stayed to take photos and videos of the scene, which were quickly uploaded on social media.

The collapse took place in the center of a moviehouse on the third floor of Ayala Center’s new wing.

“We have evacuated the area and have accounted for six injured people who have been given medical attention. We are currently investigating the cause of the incident,” said Jeanette Japzon, corporate communications manager.

She said what fell was part of the “drop ceiling for sound proofing” whose panel boards are made of acoustic material, not cement or wood.

Metal frames fell down as well.

“It’s a good thing the water leak happened first, alerting people to move away otherwise more would have been injured,” said a source from the first emergency responders.

Mark Evans, CEO of Dreamscape Networks, said he was still verifying the number of people who got hurt and was disappointed by the “slow response” of management to the freak accident.

“We want to make sure our people are safe. This was supposed to be a night of fun. And this is what happens,” Evans said in an interview.

He said he would consult their lawyers today so they can take appropriate action.

“Without a doubt, we will file a case against Ayala. Today was a disgrace. We got photos and videos of the event. We were filming the event,” said Evans, an Australian.

“The emergency response was zero. It was so embarrassing. No one knew what to do. So we began to pull people. The steel frames were all over,” he told Cebu Daily News.

He said mall security guards came 25 minutes after part of the ceiling fell.

“I’m not sure how many were injured,” said Evans who sustained a scratch on his finger.

Volunteers of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF) were later called in by the mall management. The request for assistance was received at 8:48 p.m. at the ERUF base in Banilad.

Other mall guests in restaurants in the third floor didn’t notice anything amiss until ERUF members arrived and cinema guests started rushing out.

Two people were seen being brought out on stretchers.

Many of the BPO workers who left the cinema were soaked wet. A number sustained bruises.

Videos of the incident were posted on the Facebook accounts of three persons one hour after it happened.

The first video posted on the Facebook account of Nunzio Malasomma drew more than 19,935 views and was shared 2,631 times as of 10:15 p.m. yesterday.

The 46-second video taken from a small video camera showed water gushing out of the ceiling before its collapse at the 35 second mark.

A second video posted by Jasmin Ellen Weigel Sarmiento showed water gushing out like a waterfall from the ceiling and people milling about before it collapsed, drawing screams from some of them.

Sarmiento provided a link of the video footage taken by her brother’s friend Alexis Yap.

Yap’s one-minute video provided a clearer view of water falling from the ceiling and people attending the Dreamscape Networks event before the ceiling collapsed.

Yap’s video drew 44,961 views and was shared 1,545 times as of 10:30 p.m. yesterday. /With reports from Stephen Capillas, Eileen Mangubat