One person was killed and dozens injured when winds blew through a music festival near the Spanish resort town of Valencia on Saturday morning, causing the stage to partially collapse, doctors said.
The incident happened around 04:00 (02:00 GMT) at the Medusa Circus of Madness festival in Cullera Beach, 50 kilometers south of Valencia.
“Part of the Medusa Festival stage collapsed in Cullera at 4:18am due to high winds,” emergency services said on Twitter.
“One person died and three were seriously injured,” they added, adding that 14 others were slightly injured.
Health officials said that the number of injured has reached 40.
According to media reports, the victim, a young man in his twenties, was struck by elements of the collapsed platform and died.
Footage circulating on social media showed powerful winds blowing across the site, trees and tall structures leaning dangerously and debris flying everywhere as people clung to their tents.
Spanish weather service AEMET said the coast of Valencia was hit by several “hot downdrafts” last night, a weather phenomenon in which a powerful downdraft hits land and then spreads in all directions.
The festival, which was expected to draw around 320,000 people, was evacuated for safety.
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