More than 300 people were hurt, nine seriously, after a wooden platform collapsed at a music festival on the northwest coast of Spain on Sunday night.
Mallorcan rapper Rels B was about to begin his performance at O Marisquino Vigo festival when the incident occurred close to midnight, according to The Guardian. Concertgoers suffered broken bones and head injuries after plummeting several feet to the ground, while others fell into the sea.
In a statement released today, the event organisers said that they “deeply regret the accident”, and expressed “solidarity with all the injured and their families, who are now the absolute priority for everyone”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
They also confirmed that the area around the collapsed platform, part of the existing harbour structure, has been sealed off to allow experts to determine the cause of the accident.
Festivalgoer Alicia Ulloa, 19, told Spanish news site El Confidencial: “Suddenly everyone disappeared and everyone was trampling on everyone else as they tried to escape.
“I was with a group of friends when the people beside us fell, as though something had dragged them down. It’s a miracle it wasn’t worse.”
Another witness, Marcos Rodriguez, told radio station Cadena SER: “People fell in the water, on rocks, on top of each [other], people bleeding. It was horrible. People were screaming and running.”
Vigo city’s mayor, Abel Caballero, said rescue efforts had continued throughout the night, with a team of divers searching for people in the water while firefighters dug others out of the debris. Everyone has now been accounted for, reports CNN.
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures A perching raven, a fearless climber, and more
-
Back to the future: Kids embrace ‘old school’ devicesUnder the radar From MP3s to sewing machines
-
Susie Dent picks her favourite booksThe Week Recommends The lexicographer and etymologist shares works by Jane Goodall, Noel Streatfeild and Madeleine Pelling
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Israel and the Gaza flotillaThe Explainer Activists fear loss of life after blaming Israel for drone attacks on ships
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
Rise of the far-right: what’s behind the popularity of Vox in Spain?The Explainer Disillusioned younger voters are being drawn to Santiago Abascal’s party
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
