Empty bottles and other debris lie outside the closed gates of the Madrid Arena venue in Madrid, Thursday Nov. 1, 2012. Three women have been killed and two injured in a stampede during a large Halloween Night party at the venue. Emergency services spokesman Fernando Prado said the women, aged between 18-25 years old, suffered trauma injuries and heart failure compatible with having been crushed during a stampede after a flare was reportedly set off within Madrid Arena in the west of the city, where thousands of people were partying early Thursday. Halloween has recently become a popular festivity in Spain coinciding with the traditional feast of All Saints. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Empty bottles and other debris lie outside the closed gates of the Madrid Arena venue in Madrid, Thursday Nov. 1, 2012. Three women have been killed and two injured in a stampede during a large Halloween Night party at the venue. Emergency services spokesman Fernando Prado said the women, aged between 18-25 years old, suffered trauma injuries and heart failure compatible with having been crushed during a stampede after a flare was reportedly set off within Madrid Arena in the west of the city, where thousands of people were partying early Thursday. Halloween has recently become a popular festivity in Spain coinciding with the traditional feast of All Saints. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A mannequin's head, bottles and and other debris lie in the Madrid Arena venue car park Madrid, Thursday Nov. 1, 2012. Three women have been killed and two injured in a stampede during a large Halloween Night party at a Madrid indoor venue. Emergency services spokesman Fernando Prado said the women, aged between 18-25 years old, suffered trauma injuries and heart failure compatible with having been crushed during a stampede after a flare was reportedly set off within Madrid Arena in the west of the city, where thousands of people were partying early Thursday. Halloween has recently become a popular festivity in Spain coinciding with the traditional feast of All Saints. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A mannequin's head, bottles and and other debris lie in the Madrid Arena venue car park Madrid, Thursday Nov. 1, 2012. Three women have been killed and two injured in a stampede during a large Halloween Night party at a Madrid indoor venue. Emergency services spokesman Fernando Prado said the women, aged between 18-25 years old, suffered trauma injuries and heart failure compatible with having been crushed during a stampede after a flare was reportedly set off within Madrid Arena in the west of the city, where thousands of people were partying early Thursday. Halloween has recently become a popular festivity in Spain coinciding with the traditional feast of All Saints. (AP Photo/Paul White)
People, most of them dressed with Halloween costumes, take part in the flash mob "Halloween bike ride" before touring around the city in Madrid, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
A man wearing a mask waits to take part in a flash mob named "Halloween bike ride" before touring around the city in Madrid, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
MADRID (AP) ? A stampede in an arena where thousands of people were attending a Halloween dance party killed three women and critically injured two others early Thursday, officials said.
It happened just after 4 a.m. in a passageway within the venue leading to the central concert area at Madrid Arena, where the disco-style party with American DJ Steve Aoki was under way.
Someone set off a flare or a firework, causing the stampede that trampled the five young women, Deputy Mayor Miguel Angel Villanueva said.
One witness said the stampede left partygoers piled atop one another as high as her shoulders.
"I saw a mass of people . screaming 'Help, get me out of here,' with security guards tugging at them," Ana Gomez told state broadcaster TVE. "I remember seeing the face of one young man, and his expression was that of sheer terror."
Thousands of people were attending the party when the stampede occurred, leaving the victims with trauma injuries or breathing and heart failure, emergency services spokesman Fernando Prado said.
Villanueva said the venue's maximum capacity of 10,600 people had not been exceeded and that authorities decided not to evacuate the arena when the accident occurred. Most partygoers were not aware of the stampede because it was confined to the passage, he said.
Aoki said he was "devastated" to hear about the deaths and cancelled a planned show in the northern city of Bilbao on Thursday night "out of respect for those who lost their lives and those who are injured."
He said "the safety of my fans has always been my top priority and had I known that there was any distress putting people in jeopardy within the venue I would have ended my show immediately."
Halloween has recently become a popular festivity in Spain, coinciding with the traditional feast of All Saints.
In Germany, 19 people were crushed to death in a stampede and 342 others were injured two years ago at a techno party in Duisburg.
Associated Presswestminster dog show 2012 words with friends words with friends phlebotomy dog show best in show bret michaels
No comments:
Post a Comment