Catastrophic weather conditions have put an early end to the Medusa Festival in Spain, after a collapsing stage – reportedly caused by winds exceeding 80 kilometers per hour – caused one death and at least 40 injuries.
The dance music festival, which was being held in the east coast province of Cullera, began on Wednesday (August 10) and was scheduled to run until Monday (August 15).
In a statement shared to social media, organizers explained that “an unexpected and violent gale devastated certain areas of the festival” around 4am this morning (August 13), leading the site to be evacuated “to guarantee the safety of the attendees, workers and artists gathered”.
COMUNICADO MEDUSA FESTIVALEstamos completamente desolados y consternados ante lo sucedido la pasada madarkada.La…
Posted by Medusa Festival on Saturday, August 13, 2022
The Guardian reports that as a result of the aforementioned gale, parts of a stage collapsed and were flung into the crowd, killing one attendee and leaving three with “serious trauma injuries”. Regional emergency services confirmed that 14 more had been treated for minor injuries, while a total of 40 people were attended altogether.
See footage from the festival below:
Un fallecido y 17 heridos, 9 de ellos graves, en el Medusa festival. Por el reventón calidó y la caida de estructuras. pic.twitter.com/0Hfat8BJof
— ɐɹɐʌǝnƃ sǝʎǝɹ nuɐɯ (@M_ReyesGuevara) August 13, 2022
One dead and 32 hospitalized due to the ravages of the wind at the Cullera Medusa Festival that has been cancelled.#Medusa #Cullera #Valencia #España #Spain pic.twitter.com/XQg4JaZJX3
— Rameez Akbar Khan Meyo ✪ (@Meyo_Zaada) August 13, 2022
Una locura lo del @Medusa_festival infrastructuras cayendo por culpa del viento que han hurtido a gente… pic.twitter.com/tWSIUtM8TD
— Fran Ciriza (@fran_ciriza) August 13, 2022
MEDUSA festival fa una hora #medusa #cullera pic.twitter.com/aKAajWelFE
— p (@cheikhpapidou) August 13, 2022
“We are in a state of shock because we were 30 meters away [from the stage that collapsed],” one attendee, Jesus Carretero, told the Spanish broadcaster TVE. “It could have been me, it could have been anyone.” According to the country’s meteorology bureau, AEMET, the Cullera region faced “strong gusts of wind and a sudden rise in temperatures” in the early hours of Saturday morning.
In their statement (translated from Spanish), organizers of the Medusa Festival shared “our deep and sincere condolences to the family and friends affected by the fatal consequences that occurred”, expressing that they “are completely devastated and dismayed by what happened”.
In closing, they wrote: “All our support and love for those affected in these difficult and sad times. Our thoughts are with them at all times, [and] the management of Medusa Festival are at your disposal whenever you need.”
