Irish holidaymakers among the missing and injured following fire at Isle of Man leisure centre.
On 2 August a fire broke out at Summerland Leisure Centre at Douglas on the Isle of Man killing over 50 people and injuring many more.
Summerland opened in 1971 at a cost of £3 million and was described as one of the largest indoor entertainment complexes in the world.
This is all that remains of Summerland, until last night, the Isle of Man's tourist showcase.
Between two and three thousand people were in the complex when the fire broke out. The fire spread quickly causing devastation.
The fire may have started in a kiosk outside before spreading to cladding on the main building itself. Eyewitnesses described the chaotic scenes as the fire took hold. In the panic there was a rush to the exits resulting in people being crushed and pushed to the ground.
The fire just spread like anything and we ran out.
One eyewitness said that within about twenty minutes, the entire building was engulfed in flames.
There was terrible panic.
Seven Irish people are in hospital and a number of other visitors from Ireland are still missing. One hotel said that they have a Northern Ireland family of five missing.
Most of those who died in the fire were trapped in the upper floors of the complex. A special centre has been opened to help relatives find out if their loved ones were among the dead.
Questions are now being asked about how the fire started, safety precautions, fire exits and the inflammability of materials in the building.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 3 August 1973. The reporter is Tom McCaughren.
