Five Killed in Pukkelpop Stage Collapse

Even while the news of the stage collapse tragedy in Indiana was still being digested by a shocked production industry, the almost unbelievable news of another stage collapse in Belgium reaches us -- again, the result of a severe storm, and with reports of five fatalities, as of Friday morning, and over 70 others injured.

Although they had not yet been named, it has been reported that the five dead are all Belgians: four died at the scene and one died later in hospital.

Video footage recorded at the Pukkelpop Festival, at Hasselt, Belgium, yesterday shows the site being struck by very heavy wind and rain prior to the collapse of the stage. The storm hit at around 6pm local time. Belgian news reports have said that the strong winds uprooted trees which then smashed into the stage structure: photography from the aftermath of the storm seems to show trees amid the stage debris.

A statement issued by the organizers says: "Pukkelpop is in deep mourning. We truly sympathize with the families and friends of the victims. Words are not enough. We have struggled with the decision to continue the festival. Therefore, we have decided to cancel Pukkelpop 2011. What has happened is very exceptional and could not have been predicted. We are deeply moved by all the spontaneous support the festival goers and the organization have received."

The Indiana tragedy on August 13, which killed five and left around 50 injured, and this incident at Pukkelpop on August 18 are the latest in a series of stage collapses which will have the event production industry examining its practices very closely over the coming months. The main stage at the Cisco Bluesfest collapsed on July 17 in Quebec, Canada, during a performance by Cheap Trick. On August 8, part of a lighting rig collapsed in heavy wind and rain in Tulsa, Oklahoma, prior to a performance by The Flaming Lips. All these incidents apparently happened during severe weather conditions.