Four people were transported to local hospitals and more than 20 others required treatment at an on-site medical tent after a temporary grandstand collapsed at a music festival on Australia’s Gold Coast.
The structure, which had been set up on the sand to hold hundreds of attendees, gave way suddenly just before 3 p.m. on Sunday during the Red Hot Summer Tour event in Coolangatta. The incident occurred while the band Boom Crash Opera was performing on stage.
Band members immediately halted their set upon the collapse, using the microphones to call for urgent medical assistance for the audience members caught in the sudden structural failure.
Among the four individuals taken to hospital for further care, medical personnel reported a woman suffering a collarbone injury, another patient with an ankle injury, and two men who sustained back injuries. Dozens of others were evaluated at the venue.
Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Gavin Fuller noted that the majority of those affected sustained minor bruising, lacerations, and acute shock. “Most of the people suffered bruises and lacerations and probably just generally in shock over the incident,” Fuller said. He added that the situation could have resulted in far greater harm: “But yes, it was lucky that there wasn’t more serious injuries and a lot more people injured.”
Despite the accident, the festival was allowed to resume approximately one hour after emergency responders cleared the immediate area.
Event organizers have reportedly communicated with affected ticket holders, offering full refunds for those impacted by the collapse. Authorities have referred the incident to Workplace Health and Safety officials to investigate the cause of the structural failure.
