80 KILLED

Taranaki Daily News, 12 April 1935, Page 5

80 KILLED

CINEMAS CRASH ft DISASTERS IN CANTON 260 SUFFER INJURIES

COLLAPSE OF BALCONY

INDESCRIBABLE SCENES

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Rec. 8 p.m. Hongkong, April 11.

Over 70 men, women and children are dead and 200 are injured, many critically, in the greatest cinema disaster in the history of Canton. Following a 50 per cent, reduction in prices at the Capitol Theatre crowds flocked to the building yesterday. Suddenly during the performance there was an ominous crackling, followed by a terrific crash, and the entire balcony collapsed, hurling hundreds into the stalls below, where masses of concrete and tons of masonry and dust covered the screaming people. There were indescribable scenes, the uninjured fighting to gain the exits. The back section of the theatre was in complete ruins. Almost at the same time a similar disaster occurred at the Mo Fan Theatre in an adjacent district. A portion of the building collapsed. Four are dead and over 60 injured.