TWENTY people attending a health and safety meeting were rescued from a building after a floor collapsed.

Firefighters were called to the offices on Ashton Road, Newton, Hyde, at around 10am after a mezzanine level was reported to have fallen down.

Rescue crews and paramedics found 20 people trapped by furniture and supplies at the offices of school supply business Premier Education.

They used ropes and ladders to pull victims from the wreckage.

Witnesses described how a mother who heard what had happened rushed into the building to help rescue her daughter.

Eight people were taken to hospital. None of the injuries are believed to be life threatening.

One person is understood to have suffered a broken leg and several others had back and neck injuries.

Safety

The victims were believed to have gathered to discuss health and safety issues in an office on the first floor level of Hyde Buildings when a wall apparently gave way and the floor collapsed.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire Service said the rest of the building was not structurally unsafe.

A witness who saw the aftermath of the collapse described how people emerged from the building with injuries and many were clearly shocked by what had happened.

She said: "I saw several people being taken out on stretchers.

"They were all covered up and looked quite poorly.

"One woman's mother rushed into the building to get her daughter along with a member of staff.

"I saw another four women coming out of the building but they did not appear to be injured."

Premier Education supplies toys, educational resources, stationery and other craft materials to the education sector.

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