According to doctors, one person died and many were wounded early Saturday when high winds slammed a music event in the Spanish town of Valencia, causing the stage to partly collapse.
The event happened just after 4 a.m. on Cullera beach, some 30 miles south of Valencia, during the Medusa Circus of Madness dance music festival.
“At 4:18 a.m., part of the stage at Medusa Festival in Cullera fell owing to a powerful gust of wind,” the 112 emergency services tweeted.
“One person died and three were critically injured with numerous injuries,” it added, adding that 14 others were injured lightly. The number of wounded was eventually increased to 40 by health officials.
According to media accounts, a young guy in his early twenties died after being struck by sections of the stage as it collapsed during the event, which was anticipated to gather 320,000 festivalgoers.
They also said that parts of the massive buildings that comprised the festival entrance were destroyed.
Social media footage showed strong gusts blowing across the site, trees and massive buildings bending dangerously, and debris flying everywhere as people tried to save their tents and rescue their valuables.
The Valencian coast was hammered overnight by several “warm downbursts,” a meteorological occurrence in which a forceful downward stream of air strikes land and spreads out in all directions, according to Spain’s AEMET weather office.
“We are absolutely shocked and outraged by what occurred last night,” festival management wrote in a social media post, expressing condolences to the victims and their families and friends.
According to the statement, a “unexpected and severe gale” destroyed several portions of the festival just after 4 a.m., causing management to “quickly evacuate the concert area to preserve the safety of the festival guests, employees, and artists.”
Valencia’s regional head, Ximo Puig, tweeted that it was “a sad event that has shaken us all,” and sent his “deepest sympathies to the young guy who died.”
A horrific accident that saddens us all.
I’d like to send my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the young man who died this morning during the Cullera Medusa Festival.
We will monitor the evolution of the heroes.
https://t.co/DNlktXmDar
August 13, 2022 — Ximo Puig (@ximopuig)