Mike Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 HASSELT, Belgium (Reuters) - The death toll has risen to five at a Belgian pop festival struck by a fierce storm that knocked down screens and collapsed tents, officials said on Friday. A further eight festival-goers were seriously injured and Hilde Claes, mayor of the eastern Belgian city of Hasselt told Belgian television that some 65 people had more minor injuries. Some 60,000 to 65,000 mainly young people were attending the sold-out festival when the storm struck early in the evening. Many were sheltering in large festival tents, which were whipped away by the wind. "The storm struck in an incredibly sudden way," said Claes, who was there. "It was a real whirlwind. I have never seen anything like it in Hasselt before." The three-day Pukkelpop festival was set to have featured rapper Eminem and U.S. bands Foo Fighters and The Offspring. Organizers decided early on Friday to cancel the rest of the festival. The Belgian disaster comes just five days after five people died when an outdoor concert stage collapsed in heavy winds at the Indiana State Fair in the United States. Copyright © 2011 Reuters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farin Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 that's so tragic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJonSurfer Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Bad news. I was watching the Director's Cut of Woodstock last night and frankly, it's amazing this sort of incident didn't happen there. The wind and rain was tremendous. Stages were being constructed last minute...fortunately it all held together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now