Manslaughter probe launched into Madonna stage collapse

Prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation after a stage roof for a weekend concert by Madonna collapsed and killed two people including a British worker, an official said today.

Eight other people were injured in Thursday’s accident in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, one of them in critical condition and four in serious condition, officials said.

Assistant prosecutor Marc Simamonti said an investigation by the prosecutor’s office for manslaughter and involuntary injuries in a work-related accident has been opened. He said the initial hearings would be held Sunday or Monday.

An injured British worker died today, the Marseille hospital authority said. A French worker was killed immediately when a section of the stage roof at the Velodrome Stadium collapsed as it was being put into place.

Madonna was to perform on Sunday but cancelled the engagement after the accident.

None of the victims’ identities has been released, but the prosecutor said all the remaining injured are French. An earlier report that an American had been seriously injured apparently was inaccurate.

The cause of the roof collapse was not known. Police said a faulty power winch may have played a role.