'I thought we'd been bombed - everyone was screaming!'

Customers enjoying a night out in Manchester city centre last week thought a restaurant had been bombed as falling debris from a neighbouring construction site pierced the tipi they were sat under. Two people were taken to hospital 'in stretchers' - one with a head injury - while another was treated at the scene following the incident at Ramona in Swan Street last Saturday (December 9).

The venue has said that high winds 'blew several pieces of debris' from a neighbouring construction site during the 'severe storm'. The debris - which the M.E.N. has been told included boards measuring around two by two metres - also fell onto parked vehicles nearby.

Manchester council is looking into the incident and has alerted the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which is 'making enquiries'. The M.E.N. has spoken to people who witnessed what happened on the night, including one who was under the tipi when the debris fell.

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She said: "I thought we'd been bombed. The bang it made was unbelievable.

"I literally looked up and everyone was screaming. Everyone just panicked. The staff panicked."

The Ramona customer, who requested to remain anonymous, had booked a table for dinner with some friends that night, but were told their reservation was delayed by around 45 minutes. When they were seated, they saw men drilling one of the beams of the tipi.

She later heard from other customers that part of the tipi structure was damaged due to the weather earlier in the evening. Ramona has been asked to confirm whether the tipi area was closed before the incident due to damage, but has