One person is dead and 17 are injured after a staged collapsed at the Medusa Festival near Valencia, Spain. As CNN reports, three of the victims are in serious condition.
The tragedy took place Saturday morning at 4:18 a.m. local time, officials said. “Due to a strong gust of wind, the main entrance and the main stage of the Medusa Festival in Cullera fell to the ground,” said a spokesperson. The man who died was a 22-year-old concertgoer.
There were roughly 50,000 people at the festival when the disaster happened, and it took 40 minutes to evacuate people from the grounds.
Festival organizers shared a statement on Saturday via Facebook, sending condolences to those affected and announcing the remainder of the six-day event was canceled.
“It is a very painful moment. Difficult and heartbreaking. A tremendously sad and discouraging moment for relatives, friends. A moment no one should ever know. It is also the hardest moment that all of us who make up Medusa Festival ever think of going through. We remain devastated. Broken inside. So much so that almost no words come out,” reads the translated statement. “Our thoughts continually occupy each and every one of those affected, directly and indirectly, by the unfortunate, unexpected and unavoidable accident that has occurred tonight due to the extreme and unpredictable inclement weather during the celebration of Medusa Festival. Our audience is important. They have placed their trust in us and have been the fundamental pillar for us to continue here today. The safety of those attending our event has always been an absolute priority for us. Also workers and artists. We believe that all of you who know us know that the main thing is to protect you all in each of our events.”
“For this reason, and because that continues to be our maxim, the Medusa Festival organization has made the decision to definitively cancel our festival,” it concludes. “The adverse and unexpected weather conditions that are expected to continue throughout the day oblige us morally and out of responsibility to put an end to our 2022 edition. It is a day of mourning. And respect for those affected. … Again, we express our deep and sincere condolences. Thank you all for your understanding.”
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