24 Jun 2012

Roof collapses at busy Canadian mall

6:13 pm on 24 June 2012

A roof has partially collapsed at a busy shopping mall in Canada, prompting an evacuation and a search for anyone who might have been injured.

A portion of the roof that serves as a parking area crumbled, exposing metal and concrete supports as Algo Centre Mall in northern Ontario bustled with weekend shoppers.

The collapse also triggered a gas leak and prompted emergency officials to shut off the mall's power.

A state of emergency has been declared.

A store employee said several cars appeared to have fallen through the gaping hole near some escalators.