There was a twist in the plot of a Resident Evil film shoot in Toronto Tuesday morning when a raised set collapsed and sent 12 zombie-like actors to hospital.

“It caught us off guard,” Toronto police Sgt. Andrew Gibson said of the accident scene — where a collection of the ‘undead’ were injured.

Police were called to Cinespace Film Studios on Kipling Ave. around 8 a.m. after nearly 20 actors on raised platform on the Resident Evil: Retribution set tumbled about one-and-a-half metres to the ground.

According to police, the actors were about to move from one raised platform to another when their platform — mounted on wheels — shifted and created a gap. The actors then fell to the ground.

Gibson said the costumed actors — many wearing fake blood — came as a surprise to emergency staff but “it was obvious” who was hurt.

According to Peter Macintyre, a spokesman for Toronto Emergency Medical Services, a fleet of ambulances were dispatched to the studio just before 8 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Macintyre said crews arrived at the Cinespace movie set to find several actors injured with a variety of “bumps, scrapes and bruises.” According to police, 16 actors were injured in the fall.

Twelve actors were taken to several different hospitals — Mount Sinai, Toronto General, St. Joseph’s and Humber River Regional Hospital — with non-life threatening injuries. Two actors were strapped to backboards “as a precaution,” Macintyre said.

A team of Ministry of Labour officials arrived at the scene Tuesday morning to begin their investigation into the accident.

Eric Jensen, manager at the Toronto Film and Television Office, said he believed Tuesday was only the second day of filming.

Resident Evil: Retribution is the fifth installment of the Resident Evil horror film series. Retribution, directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich, is expected to be released next fall.

With files from Zoe McKnight.