Five die as concert stage collapses during storm

A STAGE collapsed during a storm at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, sending steel scaffolding into the terrified crowd and killing at least five people awaiting a performance by the country band Sugarland.

The collapse came moments after an announcer warned of the advancing storm and gave instructions on what to do in event of an evacuation. Witnesses said a wall of dirt, dust and rain blew up quickly like a dust bowl and a burst of high wind toppled the rigging. People ran, desperate to get out of the way.

Afterward, hundreds of concert-goers rushed amid the chaos to tend to the injured, many trying to lift heavy beams, lights and other equipment that blew onto the crowd. Witnesses said many of the injured were in the VIP section closest to the stage. Emergency crews set up a triage centre below the grandstand at the fairgrounds.