A 21-year-old woman was fatally injured last night when the roof of a building collapsed at Washington Street, near the centre of Cork city.
The woman, who was unnamed pending the notification of relatives, was pronounced dead after being admitted to the Mercy Hospital.
It appears that the roof of the building occupied by a company known as Cork Film Services became unstable early in the evening as some people were passing by.
One witness said huge slabs of masonry rained down on the street and there was confusion and screaming as people tried to extricate themselves.
It also appears that the impact of the masonry on the street may have severed gas piping below the surface. This may have led to a subsequent explosion in a Chinese restaurant across the road.
As well as the woman who died, five people were taken to hospital, two suffering from serious injuries. However, their condition was said to be stable and not life-threatening. They were treated at Cork University Hospital.
The incident sparked off a major emergency plan and brought seven fire brigade units to the scene. Gardai cordoned off Washington Street and the adjoining streets and a Bord Gais crew was dispatched to ensure there was no further danger of a gas explosion.
Mr Maurice O'Connell, the sub-officer for Cork Fire Brigade, said that just as the emergency crews were responding, the brigade received a hoax call suggesting there had been a gas explosion at a city-centre snooker club. Two further fire brigade units had to be diverted to answer that call.
"We have to put up with this kind of nonsense all the time," he said.
According to hospital sources, a middle-aged man, suffering from head and neck injuries, is one of the two people most seriously injured.
The collapse of the roof happened shortly before 5 p.m. and at 6.48 p.m., when the authorities were briefing the media on the other side of the street, the explosion occurred at the Chinese restaurant.
Luckily no customers were present and the owner, who has not been named but who was in the building, suffered superficial cuts. He was also being treated in hospital last night.