Wall collapse closes Yonge Street intersection

A section of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto remains closed after a part of a wall collapsed Friday afternoon, sending a shower of bricks to the sidewalk but miraculously leaving no one with major injuries.

The busy street and the surrounding area were jammed with lunchtime patrons at about 12:30 p.m. when part of the brick facing above a sushi restaurant at the corner of Gould Street detached itself from the rest of the wall.

Toronto police and emergency crews searched the rubble in the area around Tatami restaurant and said they are confident no one was trapped.

"We were treating two people for dust inhalation, minor injuries," said Kim McKinnon, a spokeswoman for Toronto Emergency Medical Services.

McKinnon said it did not appear anyone else was injured in the collapse.

The incident forced police to close Yonge Street between Dundas Street and Elm Street, causing traffic congestion on one of the downtown core's busiest roads just before rush hour. The area remains closed until further notice, police said.

Rubble and dust after loud crash

Customers inside the restaurant, which is on the building's ground floor, reported hearing a loud crash before dust plumed into the establishment.

Police said the restaurant and the rest of the building were evacuated.

"We just heard a big, like, thump," said David Nanzke, manager of the Sunrise Records store across the street from Tatami. "We thought it was an accident in front of our store, and when we went down outside and in front of our store, we found just smoke.

"There was a bunch of bikes underneath — some, I think, were probably underneath the rubble."

Police have yet to go inside the building and are waiting to find out whether the wall is stable enough for them to enter.

Ontario's Ministry of Labour is also investigating the collapse.