Three dead in crush to see pop group

At least three people died and dozens of teenage fans were injured in Brazil today when a security fence collapsed as they tried to get autographs from a Mexican band that stars in a popular soap opera, authorities said.

At least 5,000 fans gathered outside a shopping centre in Sao Paulo to meet members of the pop group RBD who also act in the television show Rebelde, said Adriano Moneta, a spokeswoman with Sao Paulo state’s public safety secretariat.

Moneta said the exact number of injured and their condition was not immediately available. He also could not confirm whether any members of the band were injured in the incident.

Local media said rescue workers treated at least 30 people for minor injuries, and several others were taken to nearby hospitals.

Aided by broadcasts of Rebelde, which is also aired in the US, RBD has become one of the most popular groups in Mexico and it became a hit in Brazil as well after a local television station began broadcasts.

Authorities said some fans were trampled when a security fence keeping them from getting too close to the singers collapsed, apparently when fans surged forward after seeing a van with tinted windows approached. The fans believed the singers were inside the vehicle and tried to get closer.

Television images showed fans being treated on tents set up in the shopping centre’s car park, and at least six ambulances waited nearby.

The Mexicans, expected to stay in Brazil until tomorrow, were in the country to promote their recent recordings.