A tragic stunt

last updated 8 January 2015

Young, Uruguay

A television charity event went horribly wrong last week, leaving seven people dead and 11 maimed. During the taping of a TV program that featured people performing feats of strength to raise funds for a hospital, competitors tried to push and pull a railroad locomotive and two carriages along some tracks. But the vehicles gained speed and ran over a group of participants, crushing some to death and severing several limbs. “There were shouts, and somebody said, ‘My arm!’” one eyewitness reported. About 3,000 children attended the competition and witnessed the gruesome accident.