1 dead, more than a dozen injured after high winds cause stage collapse at Spain music festival

Saturday, August 13, 2022
1 dead, more than a dozen injured after high winds cause stage collapse at Spain music festival
At least one person is dead after a "strong gust of wind" knocked off parts of the Medusa Festival stage structure, emergency services said.

At least one person is dead and more than a dozen injured after high winds caused part of the stage at a music festival in Spain to collapse.

Video from the Medusa Music Festival near the coastal city of Valencia, Spain, shows disappointed concert-goers evacuating as the wind blows debris.

Around 3 a.m., the temperature there was a blistering 40.5 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) according to Spain's national weather agency for the Valencia area.

With wind measuring 82 kilometers per hour, or around 50 mph, the organizers canceled the festival and shared a statement issuing the condolences to the victims' families.

"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," organizers said in the statement posted to social media.

"Our highest priority has always been the security of those attending our event. As well as for our workers and the artists. We think that all who know us understand that our highest priority is to protect each of you at our events," the statement said. "It's a very painful moment. Difficult and heartbreaking. A tremendously sad and discouraging moment for relatives, friends."

"Our thoughts constantly are for each and every one of those affected, directly or indirectly, by the unfortunate, unexpected and unavoidable accident that has occurred tonight due to the extreme and unpredictable inclement weather during the celebration of the Medusa Festival," the statement added.

About 40 people needed to be taken to the hospital, including three with serious injuries, according to the Associated Press.

The man killed in the stage collapse incident was 22 years old, the Spanish Civil Guard told CNN.

The Spanish Civil Guard, Spain's paramilitary police unit that is in charge of the investigation, also said there was more damage than just the partial collapse of the stage.

"Due to a strong gust of wind, the main entrance and the main stage of the Medusa Festival in Cullera fell to the ground," the Civil Guard press office in Valencia told CNN.

The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this post.