'I thought I might die': Friends describe chaos of floor collapse at Two More Years bar in Hackney
A woman injured in the collapse at the Two More Years bar wants someone to take responsibility for the freak incident: "You don't go to a pub and ever expect the floor to fall underneath your feet," she says.
Monday 14 February 2022 21:53, UK
A group of friends involved in a floor collapse at an east London bar have told Sky News the experience was "traumatic".
The mezzanine at Two More Years in Hackney Wick collapsed on Saturday afternoon.
A major incident was declared by the London Ambulance Service and crews treated 13 people, with four taken to hospital.
Firefighters said they rescued seven people.
The friends were at the bar for less than 10 minutes when the incident occurred.
Kristian Sakulku, 28, who was downstairs at the edge of the mezzanine, said he saw a "puff of dust" before it gave way.
Eight of his friends fell through the floor.
Rakim Mitchell, 28, was among them and said he heard a "big crunch" and felt the floor move under his feet.
"Before you could make any thought we were falling," he said.
"I thought I might die," said another friend, who didn't want to be named.
The group said people were piled under the rubble and that they thought their lives were in danger, until they realised others around them were breathing.
Customers at the bar helped people escape by removing glass, wood and benches before emergency services arrived.
Maya Welford, 26, said the incident was traumatic and told Sky News she wants compensation.
"You don't go to a pub and ever expect the floor to fall underneath your feet," she said.
"We just need something to compensate for that. Someone needs to take responsibility. We didn't go AG百家乐在线官网diving, nothing riAG百家乐在线官网, it was just a very normal activity."
She was treated at Homerton Hospital for bruising to her head and back, as well as a bleeding ear.
Ms Welford's friend, Tom Lombard, 26, was trapped under a bench and is on crutches with a severely bruised ankle.
Others caught up in the collapse include members of Clapton FC and Stonewall FC, who had played a friendly match earlier that day.
Sky New contacted the bar for comment but hasn't yet received a reply.
However, on it its Instagram account it said it would remain closed "for now", adding: "Our thoughts are with everyone that has been affected."
Tower Hamlets Council has said: "We are continuing to work with the emergency services and a structural engineer has been on site to assess the integrity of the privately owned building."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted that he wished those injured a speedy recovery.