Horrific moment the stage collapsed onto screaming crowd at Indiana State Fair killing at least five and injuring 45

By JOHN STEVENS and PAUL BENTLEY



Horror: The moment strong winds caused the stage rigging for the outdoor concert to collapse at the fairground in Indianapolis



This is the horrifying moment a stage collapsed during a storm last night at the Indiana State Fair, killing at least five people and injuring dozens more.



Fans screamed hysterically after strong winds caused the stage rigging for the outdoor concert to collapse on top of them shortly before 9pm as a country music band were about to perform.







Rescue: Emergency crews were called to the scene and workers and set up a command centre to tend to those who were injured





Emergency crews were called to the scene to tend to those trapped beneath the stage and workers set up a command centre to treat to those who were injured. Children are said to have been among 45 people who were badly hurt.



Thousands of concert-goers were being evacuated to a nearby building because of high winds of up to 60 mph (96 km/h) when the rigging for the stage fell onto the track where some were seated.



'It was like it was in slow motion,' concert-goer Amy Weathers told the Indianapolis Star. 'You couldn't believe it was actually happening.'





Ominous: Fans try desperately to flee as the stage suddenly crumbles above them





Those who were injured were being moved to a tunnel below the stage, the Star reported. A hole was being dug to try to reach those trapped beneath the rigging.



Gov. Mitch Daniels called the collapse a 'freakish accident', but he praised the response as instantaneous and highly professional.





Trapped: The stage falls on top of the people who were trying to run away





'Individual Hoosiers ran to the trouble, not from the trouble, by the hundreds, offering, in many cases, their own professional skills.'



A stage crew member who was working up in the rigging is said to have died, crushed after he fell to the ground with the stage.



A 17-year-old boy may never walk again after his back was broken in the accident, his mother said.





Serious incident: The stage fell just before country duo Sugarland were scheduled to perform





One man who narrowly escaped the falling stage said: 'When the stage collapsed, it missed my foot by about a foot and a half.'



After making sure his girlfriend was alright, he said he helped try to lift the scaffolding off people who were trapped.





Panic: Fans waiting to see Sugarland run away after high winds blew the stage over





Rescue: Family members tend to their injured relatives after the horrific accident





Treatment: Indianapolis Fire Department personnel and paramedics tend to the victims of the stage collapse





Fall: About a dozen people are reported to have injuries after the stage collapsed





Signs: A spokesman gives the crowd instructions on how to evacuate if the weather worsens just two minutes before the stage collapsed





Devastation: The National Weather Service reports portions of the stage were blown into the grandstands





The morning after: The stage lies a crumbled mess this morning after last night's collapse















source: dailymail