Catastrophe struck on the Medusa Pageant within the city of Cullera close to Valencia at 4:18 a.m. native time “attributable to a robust gust of wind,” they stated.
The person killed was 22 years outdated, the Spanish Civil Guard advised CNN.
The Civil Guard, Spain’s paramilitary police unit that’s in command of the investigation, additionally stated there was extra harm than simply the partial collapse of the stage.
“Attributable to a robust gust of wind, the primary entrance and the primary stage of the Medusa Pageant in Cullera fell to the bottom,” a spokesperson in Valencia advised CNN.
There have been about 50,000 folks on the competition web site when the incident occurred, it stated, including that it took 40 minutes to evacuate folks from the competition, with the exit doorways functioning correctly.
Ximo Puig, president of the Valencia regional authorities, provided condolences to the sufferer’s household and pals in a Saturday tweet.
“A horrible accident that shocks all of us. I wish to prolong my deepest condolences to the household and pals of the younger man who died early this morning on the Medusa Pageant in Cullera,” Puig stated.
Early Saturday morning, competition administration introduced on Instagram that they’d suspended the competition “attributable to inclement climate… with the purpose of guaranteeing the safety of the concert-goers, staff and artists gathered on the Medusa Pageant.
Later Saturday, organizers formally canceled the competition, saying that the “antagonistic and surprising climate circumstances which can be anticipated to proceed all through the day oblige us morally and out of accountability to place an finish to our 2022 version.”
“It’s a day of mourning. And respect for these affected,” organizers stated in an announcement posted to social media, including: “Our ideas always are for each a type of affected, straight or not directly, by the unlucky, surprising and unavoidable accident.”
Movies posted on social media early Saturday confirmed sturdy winds and buildings falling from the stage as giant crowds of competition attendees had been evacuated.
The Valencia part of Spain’s nationwide climate service (AEMET) stated on Twitter that heat breezes had been producing very sturdy gusts of wind and abrupt will increase in temperature.
Round 3 a.m. native time, the temperature was a blistering 40.5 Celsius (104.9 levels Fahrenheit) on the Alicante-Elche airport, simply south of the live performance web site, on the Mediterranean coast — with winds measuring 82 kilometers (round 50 miles) per hour.
