Three elderly square dancers, including a husband and wife, were sent to hospital Wednesday evening after part of a ceiling collapsed on them at an east Ottawa community centre.

A piece of collapsed ceiling can be seen through doors at the Canterbury Community Centre Wednesday evening. (CBC)

Paramedics say about 30 seniors were in Hall B of the Canterbury Community Centre on Arch Street at around 7:42 p.m. when a panel of wood and drywall suddenly fell.

The piece of ceiling, which paramedics estimated was about one and a half metres by three metres, dropped on to an area of chairs and tables below striking three people.

A husband and wife, both 73, suffered minor cuts and bruises to their heads. The woman also suffered injuries to her cheek.

Another woman, 74, suffered cuts on the top of her head and was slightly confused when paramedics arrived. She was immobilized with a backboard and given a neck collar as a precaution.

Paramedics also treated wounds on all three and brought them to hospital in stable condition.

Panels to be removed

Councillor Peter Hume said the wood panel that fell was part of an acoustical treatment for the concrete ceiling put in place during the 1965 construction of the building. The remaining panels are expected to be removed Thursday and work will be done over the next week to repair the damage.

The acoustical treatment is not in place anywhere else in the hall, but city staff are now looking at what other buildings across Ottawa have similar installations.

The building was last inspected in 2003 and was next scheduled for an inspection in 2013.

All bookings in Hall B have been rescheduled with the exception of a drop-in table tennis event on Tuesday.