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17 hurt in ‘stampede’ at Czechia festival

Seventeen people were hurt at a music festival in Czechia following a “stampede” at the entrance of a large inflatable tent.

The incident unfolded amid adverse weather on the closing night of Vysočina Fest, which ran from 4-6 July at Amphitheatre Jihlava, in the south of the country.

According to local media reports, festivalgoers sought shelter in the “party house” tent stage after the programme was cut short due to the expected storms. When organisers asked people to leave as the tent’s roof became weighed down by heavy rain, some rushed for the exit in a panic, causing others to be trampled.

Most of the injuries were minor, but three people suffered severe injuries. Police spokeswoman Dana Čírtková says the event followed a power outage after a lightning strike.

“There will be a thorough inspection of the place and questioning of injured persons and other witnesses of the event,” she tells Denikn.

Acts on the bill included Bitter Slices, Three Sisters, Wanastowi Things, Coat, Dorian and DJ Siggi.

“People who wanted to hide from the rain in the tent flocked against people leaving the tent. Panic arose”

“At the very end of our festival we were hit by a big storm and then a big emergency,” says a statement from organisers. “We monitored the weather situation throughout the evening, and the whole team decided whether to end the festival early or not.

“After the end of the concert of the main headliner of the festival… we gradually started to clear the area. Due to rapidly deteriorating conditions, it was necessary to end the last concert. At that moment, a strong storm accompanied by lightning and large showers of rain had already arrived.”

The statement continues: “Around midnight, an unexpected event occurred in the party house inflatable tent. There was a short-term power outage, even when the tent was powered from an external source (the diesel generator did not depend on it). This caused the roof of the tent to buckle, creating a large pocket that began to fill with water.

“This incident led us to quickly decide to evacuate the tent area to ensure the safety of everyone present. Unfortunately, not all visitors heeded the call to evacuate and kept returning to the space, often just to make a video. The situation with torrential rain also played a role here, when people who wanted to hide from the rain in the tent flocked against people leaving the tent. Panic arose.

“We are very sorry for what happened and want to express our sincere thanks to everyone who helped prevent the situation from worsening. We wish all the injured a speedy recovery, lots of strength and a speedy return to normal.”

 


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