18 December 2023 , 07:23
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A meal out with friends turned to fright when debris from a nearby construction site fell on the restaurant, making them think they were under attack.
High winds during a storm made debris fall on to Ramona in Manchester, piercing a canvas canopy and making several customers and staff panic. Two people were taken to hospital after the incident, one with a head wound, and another was treated on site. Some of the debris included large advertising boards and also fell onto parked cars nearby the restaurant. Manchester City Council is looking into the incident and has alerted the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which is 'making enquiries'. Several witnesses have shared their stories, with some mistakenly believing an explosive device had gone off nearby.
One told the Manchester Evening News: “I thought we'd been bombed. The bang it made was unbelievable. I looked up and everyone was screaming. Everyone just panicked. The staff panicked. The security then came in and said everyone needs to get out and they rang the ambulance. They evacuated the whole place."
Neil Standring, was walking past Ramona when the incident happened on a night out, added: “I was on the side where the building site was. There was a massive gust. We just saw all this stuff fall in. We had to duck. The size of the stuff that got lifted was pretty big. I don't know what it was. I think there were massive chunks. It was hectic."
A spokesman for Ramona said all injured parties are 'safe and recovering'. They added: “On the evening of Saturday, 9th December, an incident occurred where, during the severe storm, high winds blew several pieces of debris from a neighbouring construction site, onto parked vehicles, piercing the Ramona tipis, injuring customers."
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A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson added: "At around 8:15pm on Saturday, December 9, two fire engines from Salford and Manchester Central fire stations were called to Cable Street, Manchester, in response to reports about falling debris. Firefighters established a cordon to make the area safe, working alongside colleagues from North West Ambulance Service and at the scene. Crews were in attendance for around two hours."
Greater Manchester Police added officers also attended the scene and two people received injuries and were taken to hospital. A police cordon was put in place at the time to safely secure the perimeter and no further action was being taken by GMP.”
A spokesman for Manchester City Council added: "The council is aware of this incident and is in the process of obtaining further information to determine if any further action will be required." A HSE spokesperson said: “We are aware of this incident and making enquiries.”