Riesenzelt buries Festival-goers - 15 injured
30,000 People Celebrate at an Electro Festival in Slovakia. Large Tent Collapses During Heavy Storm, Injuring Several People. Prosecutor's Office Investigates.
An Open-Air Festival in Trencin, Slovakia, was prematurely ended due to a storm that devastated the grounds and injured several visitors. The inspection of all facilities could not be completed in less than 24 hours, making a continuation of the program impossible, according to the organizers on social media today. The festival site gradually emptied out, as reported by the portal Aktuality.sk.
The "Pohoda" (Joviality or Comfort) festival on the airport grounds of Trencin was supposed to run from Thursday to Saturday evening. The event, which featured James Blake, the band Morcheeba, the Black Pumas, and Slovak singer Richard Müller, was designed for up to 30,000 visitors.
On Friday evening, a large tent collapsed during a storm with strong wind gusts. According to Aktuality.sk, several hundred attendees were in the tent at the time. Search and rescue teams used sniffer dogs and thermal cameras to locate people under the tent.
15 Injured - Prosecutor's Office Investigates
According to rescue services, 15 attendees were injured, 14 of whom were taken to nearby hospitals. Smaller tents of attendees and food and beverage stands were also destroyed. In some places, the power had to be turned off on the site.
According to Slovakian media, the prosecutor's office is now investigating due to the suspicion of endangering the public. Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok stated that it was right that the organizers had prematurely ended the festival. However, the question arises whether the decision should not have been made earlier.
Elsewhere in Slovakia, storms and thunderstorms caused significant damage in the south and west. According to the portal sme.sk, there were 135,000 households without power in the west due to damaged power lines caused by lightning and uprooted trees. In the south, train connections were primarily affected. Eurocity trains to Budapest and Prague had to be rerouted.
Despite the cancellation of the "Pohoda" festival due to international acts like James Blake and Morcheeba, music enthusiasts from across the globe still expected to attend. Regardless of the festival's halt, Slovakia remains a renowned destination for various Music Festivals, attracting a vast international audience annually.
