Catastrophic weather conditions have put an early end to the Medusa Festival in Spain, after a collapsing stage ā reportedly caused by winds exceeding 80 kilometres per hour ā caused one death and at least 40 injuries.Ā
The dance music festival, which was being held in east coast province of Cullera, began on Wednesday (August 10) and was scheduled to run until Monday (August 15).Ā
In a statement shared to social media, organisers explained that āan unexpected and violent gale devastated certain areas of the festivalā around 4am this morning (August 13), leading the site to be evacuated āto guarantee the safety of the attendees, workers and artists gatheredā.
COMUNICADO MEDUSA FESTIVALEstamos completamente desolados y consternados ante lo sucedido la pasada madrugada.La…
Posted by Medusa Festival on Saturday, August 13, 2022
The Guardian reports that as a result of the aforementioned gale, parts of a stage collapsed and were flung into the crowd, killing one attendee and leaving three with āserious trauma injuriesā. Regional emergency services confirmed that 14 more had been treated for minor injuries, while a total of 40 people were attended to altogether.
See footage from the festival below:
Un fallecido y 17 heridos, 9 de ellos graves, en el Medusa festival. Por el reventĆ³n cĆ”lido y la caĆda de estructuras. pic.twitter.com/0Hfat8BJof
— ÉÉ¹ÉŹĒnĘ sĒŹĒɹ nuÉÉÆ (@M_ReyesGuevara) August 13, 2022
One dead and 32 hospitalized due to the ravages of the wind at the Cullera Medusa Festival that has been canceled.#Medusa #Cullera #Valencia #EspaƱa #Spain pic.twitter.com/XQg4JaZJX3
— Rameez Akbar Khan Meyo āŖ (@Meyo_Zaada) August 13, 2022
Una locura lo del @Medusa_festival , infraestructuras cayĆ©ndose por culpa del viento que han herido a genteā¦ pic.twitter.com/tWSIUtM8TD
— Fran Ciriza (@fran_ciriza) August 13, 2022
MEDUSA festival fa una hora #medusa #cullera pic.twitter.com/aKAajWelFE
— p (@cheikhpapidou) August 13, 2022
āWe are in a state of shock because we were 30 metres away [from the stage that collapsed],ā one attendee, Jesus Carretero, told Spanish broadcaster TVE. āIt could have been me, it could have been anyone.ā According to the countryās meteorology bureau, AEMET, the Cullera region faced āstrong gusts of wind and a sudden rise in temperaturesā in the early hours of Saturday morning.Ā
In their statement (translated from Spanish), organisers of the Medusa Festival shared āour deep and sincere condolences to the family and friends affected by the fatal consequences that occurredā, expressing that they āare completely devastated and dismayed by what happenedā.
In closing, they wrote: āAll our support and love for those affected in these difficult and sad times. Our thoughts are with them at all times, [and] the management of Medusa Festival are at your disposal whenever you need.ā
The post One dead, dozens injured after stage collapses at Spanish EDM festival appeared first on NME.
