One person dead and dozens were hurt early Saturday, when high winds hit a festival stage causing collapse near the Spanish city of Valencia, regional emergency services said.
The incident occurred shortly after 4 a.m. at the Medusa Circus of Madness dance music festival on Cullera beach.
Other infrastructure was also damaged when gusts battered the Medusa festival, a huge electronic music festival held over six days in the east coast town of Cullera, south of Valencia.
Of the injured, three suffered serious trauma injuries and 14 had more minor injuries, regional emergency services tweeted. Regional health authorities said later that 40 people were attended to.
“We are completely devastated and saddened at what happened this morning,” the organizers said in a statement on the festival’s Facebook page.
They said “extraordinary” weather conditions had caused damage to infrastructure on the festival site.
“At around four in the morning unexpected and violent strong winds destroyed certain areas of the festival, forcing management to make the immediate decision to vacate the concert area to guarantee the safety of attendees, workers and artists,” organizers said.
The festival was suspended for the time being, they said.
The national weather agency said there had been “strong gusts of wind and a sudden rise in temperatures” during the night, with gusts of 51 mph recorded at Alicante airport in the Valencia region.