Stage Collapse Reported at Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium (UPDATED)
Reports are pouring in from the internet, saying that a stage has collapsed at the Belgium Pukkelpop festival. The apparent cause was heavy rains, and at least one user one Twitter has indicated there may have been a hurricane in the area.
So far there are several reports of injured attendees and all performances have been suspended.
The festival was packed with fans to see acts such as Bring Me The Horizon, Skrillex, Foo Fighters and 30 Seconds to Mars, who’s frontman, Jared Leto, tweeted out ” CRAZY STORM AT PUKKELPOP IN BELGIUM NOT SURE WE WILL BE ABLE TO GO ON STAGE – STAYED TUNED. SAFETY FIRST.”
Panic! at the Disco, also scheduled to perform, informed fans “Everyone at pukkelpop, first of all, we hope you are safe. We will play if they let us, but it’s not our call. We’ll keep U posted -Spencer”
However, the most alarming direct information came from Smith Westerns, who were onstage during the collapse. “Stage collapsed max almost got crushed by the tress. I hope pukkelpop has insurance bc all our shit is broke.”
This disaster occurs only days after a stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair just prior to a performance by the band Sugarland. Four people died in the collapse in Indiana.
We will keep everyone affected by this in our thoughts, and will try to keep readers updated on the situation.
UPDATE: There is now a tentative report that at least 6 people are dead following the collapse of tents on the festival grounds.
UPDATE (2:33PM EST): Apparently, the incident is worse than was originally reported. According to Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars, FOUR stages have collapsed:
RT @jaredleto: FOUR STAGES DOWN – STILL RAINING + THUNDER IF YOU ARE HERE PLEASE BE SAFE
UPDATE (3:01PM EST): New reports say 2 reported dead, 40 currently in the hospital.
UPDATE (4:08PM EST):We are now getting conflicting reports. Some outlets are claiming 2 dead, some are claiming at least 4 deaths.
An emergency information number has been set up: +32 011 23 97 11
UPDATE (4:29PM EST): NME has posted several videos showing footage from the festival. In one of them you can make out someone saying “80 mile per hour winds.”
