One person was killed and dozens injured when a stage collapsed at the Medusa Festival, a six-day electronic music festival, in the east coast city of Culera, south of Valencia, Spain. According to a Reuters report, the incident occurred early Saturday morning local time.
Regional emergency services said parts of the main stage collapsed due to high winds. One person was killed and dozens were injured. Other infrastructure was also damaged by the massive storm.
French DJ David Guetta was scheduled to play the festival on Saturday. DJs were scheduled to play all night Friday on five stages.
Regional emergency services said on Twitter that three of the injured suffered serious injuries and 14 suffered minor injuries.
Regional health authorities later said 40 people were injured.
In a statement on the festival’s Facebook page, organizers said, “We are completely devastated and saddened by what happened this morning.” Various infrastructures of the festival venue were damaged due to inclement weather. Unpredictable and destructive strong winds lashed certain areas of the festival around 4 am. As a result, the administration was forced to take an immediate decision to evacuate the concert area to ensure the safety of attendees, staff and artistes.
They said that the festival has been postponed for the time being.
DJ Miguel Serna was on the main stage set from 3am to 4am local time when the incident happened.
It was an exciting few minutes, something I’ve never experienced before, she wrote in an Instagram Story on Saturday. This tragedy happened right at the end of my session on the main stage. The moment was horrible, I’m still in shock.
Gusts of 82 kilometers per hour were recorded overnight at Alicante airport in the Valencia region, the country’s national meteorological agency said. In the night suddenly there was a strong gust of wind and the temperature rose.
(13 Aug)