Children injured in wall collapse

Feb 16 2006 By Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail

EIGHT schoolchildren were injured, one with a broken leg, when a half-term disco turned to terror.

Up to 1,000 Midland teenagers were queuing for the night at the Rock Café 2000, in Mill Race Lane, Stourbridge, when a 10ft high wall collapsed on top of them.

Police officers, who had stopped a speeding motorist a few feet away, heard screams coming from the club's car park and rushed to help as 40 youths were caught under the rubble.

Stunned youngsters, aged between 14 and 19, battled to comfort and treat friends before paramedics arrived at 7.15 last night.

Police said eight teenagers were injured, four boys and four girls, and taken to Russells Hall Hospital, in Dudley, for back and pelvic injuries and minor wounds.

"It was one of the busiest nights of the year because of half term and 1,000 teenagers turned up," said club owner Mark Ellis. "They were queuing round the corner into the car park with some of them sitting on a wall above the crowd or leaning against the wall.

"It must have buckled under the weight and that's when it came tumbling down on a group of them. Fortunately, it seems that no one was severely injured, but one teenager had a broken leg and a handful of others had minor cuts and bruises."

One young onlooker, who did not wish to be named, said: "Everyone managed to keep quite calm and cleared the area to help people under the rubble. Two police officers were with a motorist next door and suddenly appeared, so that really helped."

Police and Health and Safety officials have launched an inquiry into the collapse.

Leading firefighter Simon Griffiths of Stourbridge fire station said today he believed the "bottleneck" pressure of people queuing against the wall caused it to collapse.

"There were about 1,000 people waiting to get into the club and the wall collapsed under their weight," he said.

* Have your say on this story at www.icbirmingham.co.uk/mail/news/yoursay