Colombia: Spectator stands collapse amid bullfight, causing deaths and scores of injuries

At least four individuals have lost their lives as the spectators' stands at a bullfight event collapsed in central Colombia on Sunday, according to authorities. Over 300 people have suffered injuries in the horrifying incident. Visuals from a stadium in El Espinal, Tolima Department depicts a three-storey wooden stand thronged with spectators crumbling down. Furthermore, the mishap took place during the traditional festival "corraleja," where the general public can enter the ring to engage the bulls, Associated Press reported.

(Credit: AP)

According to a report by The Guardian, a raging bull broke free from the arena where the event was taking place and as a result, chaos ensued in the streets of Espinal, Tolima, a city of roughly 60,000 people located around 145 kilometres southwest of the country's capital Bogotá. It is worth noting that the event on Sunday was a part of the well-known San Pedro festival. 

The videos which are doing rounds on social media showed a chunk of the bamboo and wood stands falling inside the ring where residents were taking part in a bull-running competition. Speaking on the incident, Tolima Governor José Ricardo Orozco said, "We have activated the hospital network in Tolima." As of now, two women, a man, and a minor are among the victims of the accident. 

Bullfight stands that collapsed hosted nearly 800 people

Nearly 800 people were reported to be seated in the areas that fell, Mayor Juan Carlos Tamayo noted. Apart from this, 322 individuals sought treatment at nearby public and private hospitals following the collapse, Tolima's health secretary Martha Palacios stated in a press conference late Sunday. The deceased minor, according to Palacio, was an 18-month-old infant. 

Along with the four deceased, two other individuals were recuperating following surgery and four more were in intensive care. 

As per the Colombian daily El Tiempo, municipal authorities did not immediately disclose the cause of the collapse. Major Luis Fernando Velez, the province's head of civil defence, informed the local Caracol television station that nobody has been trapped inside the rubble, The Guardian reported. He added that several individuals who were reported missing had been located. 

In addition to this, President-elect Gustavo Petro asked municipal officials to forbid such events, stressing that this incident was not the first of its kind. “I ask mayors not to allow more events involving the death of people or animals,” citing him, Associated Press reported.  

Further, a probe has been declared into the deadly incident by the incumbent president, Iván Duque. Taking to Twitter, he said, “We will ask for an investigation of the facts; prompt recovery for the injured and solidarity with the families of the victims.” 

(Image: AP)