At least four people have been killed in Colombia when a grandstand collapsed during a bullfight. Dozens of people have been injured.
The dead are said to be two women, a man and a child. At least thirty spectators were seriously injured. In total, according to the governor, in an interview on the Colombian radio station Blu Radio, around 300 were injured.
Images show that the stands were overcrowded during the bullfighting. One of the stands collapsed, causing people to fall. Many people were also buried under the rubble.
View images of the accident here (note: can be experienced as shocking):
The accident happened during a bullfight in the Colombian municipality of El Espinal, in the department of Tolima. During the fight, the public was invited into the ring to ‘whip up’ the animals.
An emergency has been declared in the region where it happened. El Espinal mayor Juan Carlos Tamayo says the cause of the accident is being investigated.
A local politician said the municipality does not have enough ambulances and beds in the hospital. He called for help from neighboring towns.
The bullfight was part of the Peter and Paul Festival, which is very popular in the region. According to a report in the newspaper El Tiempo, an escaped bull caused panic in the streets of the town after the accident.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro tweeted a video showing the collapse of the grandstand from above. He writes that he hopes that as many people as possible survived the tragedy:
Espero que todas las personas afectadas por el derrumbe de la plaza de El Espinal puedan salir airosas de sus heridas.
Esto ya había sucedido antes en Sincelejo.
Le solicito a las alcaldías no autorizar más espectáculos con la muerte de personas o animales. pic.twitter.com/dMAq6uqlKX
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 26, 2022