5 Dead, 43 Injured as Stage Collapses at Indiana State Fair

The weekend brought tragedy at the ongoing Indiana State Fair, as the massive stage on which Sugarland was expected to perform collapsed for reasons that are yet to be determined. Five people have died and over 40 were injured in the accident.

Organizers, who did not need a permit or undergo an inspection for the temporary structure of the stage, blame the powerful gush of winds for the incident.

IndyStar writes that the Indiana Department of Homeland Security is not accountable for the tragedy because its responsibilities do not include checking to see if the rigging is able to withstand heavy winds and equally heavy equipment.

However, regulations say that temporary structures should withstand winds of up to 100 mph. On Saturday, when the massive stage at the Fair collapsed, the wind peaked at 60-70 mph, which means it wasn’t the only cause for the tragedy.

“The wind just picked up and the stage just caught and the roof just caught and it went up like a sail and then it crashed forward into the people standing in the front,” a reporter for WANE-TV says.

“There were people trapped underneath and everyone was running and screaming. They were asking any medics or nurses not to leave,” the reporter adds.

Thanks to concertgoers who acted immediately, those injured were rescued from the wreckage but, in some cases, their injuries are so severe that authorities warn the death toll may still increase.

Speaking of the tragedy, State Fair spokesman Andy Klotz said that they were still looking for the one responsible for it, if anyone was to blame.

The company that made the rigging for the stage has also launched an investigation into the matter.

“I don’t know who’s responsible, if anyone. I’ve had conflicting information on this today,” IndyStar cites Klotz as saying.