[kjohnson28]

INDIANAPOLIS -- At least three people were killed and two dozen people were injured in a stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair during a severe thunderstorm on Saturday night.

The Marion County Coroner's Office confirmed the fatalities. Indianapolis firefighters said the collapse happened just before 9 p.m. as Sugarland, a country music act, was preparing to perform.

Deputy Coroner Alfie Ballew told 6News that there could be more fatalities.
Officials said that the stage blew into portions of the grandstand and the roof was blown to the ground.

Firefighters said an on-site emergency center was set up at the fairgrounds. Other people at the concert converged on the collapsed stage, trying to pull the injured from beneath the mangled wreckage.

Indiana Task Force One was called in to search the debris, along with several K-9 units.
The concert had been delayed as the storm rolled in.

Patients were taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital and Methodist Hospital, both equipped with trauma facilities. Wishard asked its employees who weren't scheduled to work Saturday night to check in to see if their services are needed.

Other patients were taken to other hospitals in and around Indianapolis. Several children were among those injured, and some were taken to Riley Hospital for Children.

[MrCorpse]

oh well

[cscribbles]

[Kaboom]

1080HD version from another angle shows them being crushed.

[gatagato]

Very sad

It seems concertgoers were firstly told that the show would go on with bad weather looming, then the executive director and state police special operations commander, after watching an ugly storm moving in on radar (via smartphone), decided it was time to evacuate the crowd, but it was too late.
How comes the word was still that "the show would go on", and that the crowd should be prepared to find shelter if things changed"? This type of stuff happens without forwarning you, and "when things change" is already too late, you don't need a rocket scientist to realize that. WTF, four lives lost for no reason.

[wagswayz]

Four people are dead and more than 40 are injured after the main stage collapsed Saturday night at the Indiana State Fair.

Thousands of fairgoers gathered for a Sugarland concert as a line of thunderstorms with winds that gusted as high as 77 miles per hour moved into the area.

Witnesses described a chilling scene as winds moved in and suddenly the metal framed canopy and trusses began falling to the ground. Dozens of fairgoers were trapped underneath the roof.

Indiana State Police say approximately 40 people were rushed to Indianapolis hospitals with injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to extremely serious injuries.

“We could have other deaths,” said Indiana State Police sergeant Dave Bursten said as he described the extent of injuries.

[fastfish]

Wow.

I used to live on the West side of Indianapolis, and I've been to the fairgrounds many times.

This one kinda hit home for me.

Kind of freaky the way the storm came in so fast and hard with little to no warning. I guess it's the nature of these Midwestern thunderstorms.

[Faline]

Horrific

[wagswayz]

pix

[methfreeq]

Not happy to see this at all.