Manama: Part of the ceiling collapsed at a shopping mall in the Qatari capital Doha, but no serious injuries were reported.
The incident happened at the Landmark Mall on Wednesday evening when a section of plaster came away while few shoppers were in the area.
Ahmad Hassna, security manager, told local news site Doha News that a woman was hit on the shoulder by some of the plaster and a baby was hit on the hand.
Both were taken by ambulance to Hamad Hospital but they were discharged within hours, he said.
The Ministry of Interior confirmed the incident on its Twitter account, saying that the Civil Defence was taking safety measures following the collapse of a section of plaster from the ceiling at the Landmark mall.
Eyewitnesses reported on social media that the incident occurred at around 8.45pm near the entrance to the food court and children’s play area.
The crash of the chunk of plaster on the ground prompted people to come and find out what happened, but no panic was recorded.
“When I was walking out (of the mall) the fire alarm started,” Emma Louise Kennedy, a shopper who was at the mall at the time of the accident, told Doha News. “I started to run out, but no one even moved. Everyone seemed to make their way to where the accident was.”
Anna Kennedy, her sister, said she was on her way out of the food court when she heard a loud crash:
“People began to run over and I started to see children crying so I ran over,” she said. “There was a lot of debris on the floor and people were watching over from Opera café. I do not believe anyone was hurt - not that I had seen. I think people just got a fright. The security were great, they got everyone away from the area and were quick in doing so. Then the alarms went off and everyone was ushered out of the mall,” she said.
According to the news site, the mall was operating normally on Thursday morning. Parts of the affected area were closed off, but the floor was clean of any debris.
The collapse triggered calls to launch a thorough investigation into its causes to ensure the highest degrees of safety in all malls and buildings in Qatar.
In April 2013, the ceiling of an ice cream shop in Landmark Mall collapsed early on a weekday morning, and no one was injured. The shop was closed for several months for renovations before it re-opened.
The worst incident occurred at the Villaggio Mall in May 2012 when 19 people, including 13 children, were killed in a fire.
