Westfield shopping centre roof collapses in severe storms

Dramatic video has emerged of the moment the roof of a major shopping centre came crashing down as heavy rain lashed western Sydney.

The footage captured inside Westfield at Mt Druitt shows debris falling from the roof of Best and Less.

Customers were caught off guard and can be seen running for cover as water gushed in.

The entire centre had to be evacuated just days after many shops reopened when Covid restrictions were lifted.

Firefighters and police have responded to “assess the damage and stabilise the roof”.

“The ceiling of at least one store inside Westfield Mt Druitt has collapsed following a storm,” Fire and Rescue NSW posted to Twitter.

“FRNSW crews are working to assess the damage and stabilise the roof. Call triple-0 for emergencies and the NSW SES on 132500 for all other storm-related requests.”

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Monster storm smashes Sydney

It came as a dangerous weather system swept across Sydney.

Earlier on Thursday, parts of the city’s west were warned to brace for a possible tornado as strong winds and heavy rain began lashing most of the NSW coast.

Sydney's west was smashed with huge white hailstones that crashed almost horizontally.

The violent storm stretched from Grafton, across Sydney and down to Byron Bay.

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