BOGOTA, June 27 (BNA) Part of the wooden platforms collapsed during a bullfight in central Colombia on Sunday, causing spectators to fall to the ground and killing at least four people and injuring hundreds, authorities announced.
The disaster occurred at a stadium in El Espinal, Tolima, during a traditional event called “Coraleja” in which members of the public enter the ring to engage the bulls, the Associated Press reported.
Videos taken during bullfighting show a multi-storey section of the grandstand collapsing as people scream.
“We have revitalized the hospital network in Tolima,” Tolima Governor Jose Ricardo Orozco told local Radio Bleu. “Four people have died so far: two women, a man and a minor.”
Mayor Juan Carlos Tamayo said 800 spectators were seated in the sections that collapsed.
Late Sunday, Tolima Health Minister Martha Palacios said at a press conference that 322 people had gone to local public and private hospitals after the collapse to seek treatment. Palacio said the minor who died was an 18-month-old infant.
In addition to the four dead, four other people are in intensive care and two others are recovering from surgery.
Orozco said he requested the suspension of the traditional “Coralegas” in Tolima earlier on Sunday, but this was held anyway.
President-elect Gustavo Petro urged local officials to ban such events, noting that it is not the first time such an incident has occurred.
“I am asking mayors not to allow further events involving the death of people or animals,” he said.
Incumbent President Evan Duque announced on Twitter an investigation into the disaster.
“We regret the terrible tragedy that was recorded in Espinal, Tolima, during the San Pedro and San Juan festivals, with the collapse of the stands during the Coralega. We will call for an investigation.”