At least 300 people have been injured, five seriously, after a section of wooden platform collapsed at O Marisquino urban sports and music festival in the north-west city of Vigo, Spain.
The platform had been packed with people watching a rap artist at the two-day O Marisquiño event in Galicia.
According to eyewitnesses, the wooden platform gave way during the first song of the concert as Rels B, who had just started his performance, told the crowd to jump, local media report.
Police confirmed that there were no known fatalities.
Witnesses reported scenes of panic as people – many of them teenagers – tried to scramble to safety. Some fell into the sea.
Personal effects such as mobile phones and handbags were left scattered on the ground.
Several emergency teams attended to the injured, and divers were sent into the sea to check that no-one was trapped beneath the structure.
The incident happened shortly before midnight on August 12 as a crowd was listening to the Majorcan rap artist Rels B.
Earlier, the regional health minister, Jesus Vazquez Almuina, told local radio about the nature of the injuries people suffered.
He said: “These are provisional figures, patients are still being evaluated… The vast majority are light injuries for bruises. There are five hospitalizations, mainly broken bones and some head injuries.”
In a tweet, Rels B wished “strength” to the injured and advised anyone worried about friends or relatives to contact an emergency information point set up by festival organizers.
The mayor of Vigo, Abel Caballero, has said there will be an investigation into the causes of the incident.
It is not yet clear whether the platform collapsed because there were too many people on it, or because the structure itself was weak, or whether other factors were involved.
[googlead tip=”patrat_mediu” aliniat=”stanga”]Today, police and safety investigators inspected the Saturday night’s tragedy site at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, where the stage collapsed. Governor Mitch Daniels was among those who put the biggest blame on wind gusts that came sooner than expected, ahead of a powerful storm.
Today, police and safety investigators inspected the Saturday night's tragedy site at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, where the stage collapsed
[googlead tip=”lista_mica” aliniat=”stanga”]In the morning, family members of dozens of injured concert-goers and workers were standing vigil at area hospitals. The collapse of overhead stage rigging onto thousands of people waiting for country duo Sugarland to take the stage and killed 4 people at the scene and sent other 45 to hospitals, according to revised injury numbers issued by Indiana State Police today. At least other 20-25people checked themselves into hospitals overnight.
Total deaths of 2011 Indiana State Fair tragedy grew to 5 early this morning.
Total deaths grew to 5 early this morning, when a lighting crew member – who had climbed atop the structure to aim a light before the collapse – was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The four who died at the scene were:
Tammy Vandam, 42, Wanatah, Indiana;
Glenn Goodrich, 49, Indianapolis, Indiana;
Alina Bigjohny, 23 Fort Wayne, Indiana;
Christina Santiago, 29, Chicago Illinois.
Nathan Byrd, 51, from Indianapolis, died at Methodist Hospital early this morning. Byrd, the lighting crew member, who had been working up in the rigging when the collapse happened, was crushed when the rigging came down.
[googlead tip=”vertical_mare” aliniat=”dreapta”] Saturday night, about 9 p.m., after the opening act at the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand had finished, but before Sugarland performance, an announcer told the attendees of approaching severe weather. But officials held off on ordering an evacuation.
[youtube nv3lrkbcOHY]
A timeline issued today by Indiana State Police showed that at 8:49 p.m. – about 25 minutes before the storm’s forecasted arrival – a strong gust of wind blew through the fairgrounds, toppling the stage setup onto those closest to the stage. As the crowd scattered, scores of fans rushed toward the metal structure to lift it off victims.
“What you saw last night was a display of best qualities of both public and private Hoosiers,” Governor Mitch Daniels said during a news conference this morning in the Farm Bureau Building at the fairgrounds. Governor became choked up as he talked about the emergency response.
The Indiana Fairgrounds was closed today, but activities were scheduled to resume on Monday. Indiana State Fair officials are still considering alternate plans for events set for the grandstand this week, including concerts by Janet Jackson and Train, but no details have been announced.
After the fair’s tomorrow reopening at 8 p.m., there will be a public remembrance for the victims at 9 a.m. at the Free Stage.
At the morning’s news conference, Daniels was joined by State Fair Director Cindy Hoye and State Police 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten. First Lady Cheri Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard both attended but did not speak.
Dave Bursten said the early indication was that the “isolated significant wind gust” took authorities and event coordinators by surprise, since the storm itself was still about 30 minutes from arriving. They had been in contact with the National Weather Service for much of the evening.
Bursten noted that the midway and other areas on the grounds weren’t damaged so severely, and some not at all.
Cindy Hoye said the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) is investigating the structure of the stage rigging, which was provided by Mid-America Sound Corp. of Greenfield.
“Some survivors’ injuries are still considered life-threatening,” Dave Bursten said.
“For others, they may be life-altering,” he added.
The extent of most victims’ injuries or their conditions is still unclear, but at least few people were reportedly in critical condition or intensive care units. Three children were still being treated today at Riley Hospital for Children.
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.