Tuesday 16 / April / 2024
Bogota : During a bullfight that took place in Central Colombia on Sunday, an unprecedented collapse of the parts of wooden stands killed 4 and injured hundreds.
The unforeseen disaster took place during a traditional event called "Corraleja" in a stadium in the city of El Espinal in Tolima state of Colombia, ArabNews reported. The videos taken amid the bullfight showed a three-story section of the stands collapsing as people plunged to the ground, screaming.
"We have activated the hospital network in Tolima," Tolima Gov, ArabNews reported citing Jose Ricardo Orozco.
Orozco added that he had asked for the traditional "Corraleja" to be suspended in Tolima earlier Sunday but this one was held anyway.
Amongst the four people who died during the collapse, two were women, one a man and a minor respectively. Out of hundreds of those wounded, 30 people have been seriously injured.
Furthermore, President-elect Gustavo Petro urged local officials to ban such events in order to avoid any such incidents in the future, stressing that it was not the first time an incident like this had taken place.
"I ask mayors not to allow more events involving the death of people or animals," he said.
Moreover, taking to Twitter current President Ivan Duque on Twitter announced an investigation of the disaster
"We lament the terrible tragedy registered in El Espinal, Tolima, during the festivals of San Pedro and San Juan, with the collapse of the stands during a Corraleja. We will call for an investigation."
Local hospitals received 322 patients who were injured in the stadium collapse, Tolima Health Secretary Martha Palacios said Sunday night whereas the Colombian civil defence body, 'Defensa Civil Colombiana', tweeted that volunteers had transported injured victims to medical facilities in the area.
The investigation is undergoing. No official cause of the collapse is known yet.
