One person was killed and at least 40 people were injured after high winds caused a portion of the main stage to collapse at Valencia, Spain’s Medusa Festival, an EDM fest set to feature David Guetta, Steve Aoki, Afrojack and more.
Organisers of the 2022 Medusa festival announced Saturday morning that the rest of the fest would be cancelled. “violent strong winds”At approximately 4:08 a.m. local, 50 miles per hour were reached by the festival site during a DJ Miguel Serna set.
“It was a tense few minutes, I’ve never experienced anything like it before,” Serna in An Instagram StorySaturdayvia Reuters).
“The tragedy happened just at the end of my session on the main stage, just below it, which was the most affected (area). It was a few moments of horror, I am still in shock.”
The unexpected and severe winds “destroyed” parts of the festival grounds caused a portion of the main stage to collapse; in the aftermath, one person — a man in his 20s — was killed and at least 40 people were injured; of those, three people suffered serious trauma injuries, BBC reports.
High winds and dust storms are seen in videos from the Medusa Festival, wreaking havoc across the festival grounds. The winds also threaten to cause damage to large video screens. Spanish authorities also appear to have evacuated the area shortly after the windstorm. 50,000 people were present in the vicinity at the time. CNN reported.
“We are completely devastated and dismayed at what happened last morning. The management of Medusa Festival would like to express our deep and sincere condolences to the family and friends affected by the fatal consequences that occurred last night,”Medusa organizers wroteFacebook. “It is a day of mourning and respect for those affected. And they will have us for everything they need. His unbearable suffering we also make ours.”
“A terrible accident that shocks all of us. I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the young man who died early this morning at the Medusa Festival in Cullera,”Ximo Puig was the president of Valencia’s regional government. He made this statement on Saturday.
CNN notes that the ongoing heat wave enveloping Europe could be to blame for the sudden gusts at the festival, as the warm coastal breezes — the temperature at a nearby airport was 104 degrees Fahrenheit at 3 a.m. local time — were likely the catalyst for the violent strong winds.