At least four people died and hundreds were injured this Sunday in Colombia after the collapse of a box (or stands) in a bullring while a bullfight was taking place, local authorities reported.
The crash occurred in a bullring in the municipality of El Espinal, in the department of Tolima (central Colombia).
Among the dead counted so far are three adults and one minor.
Videos of the collapse spread on social networks show images of panic among the great mass of attendees amid the rubble of the stands.
Rescuers are working on the scene to assist the injured and transfer them to nearby hospitals, said the mayor of El Espinal, Juan Carlos Tamayo.
"Deeply regretting what happened in our Gilberto Charry bullring, I want to ask the citizens who are in the bullring to please evacuate, the control agencies are already attending to the emergency and the injured have already been evacuated to hospitals," he said. .
The traditional bullfight or corraleja, as it is known in Colombia, is an event where the public is allowed to enter the ring to interact with the bulls.
Gustavo Petro, the newly elected president, immediately tweeted about the collapse: “I hope that all the people affected by the collapse of El Espinal square can come out of their wounds unscathed.”
“This had already happened before in Sincelejo (capital of the Caribbean department of Sucre).
I ask the mayors not to authorize more shows with the death of people or animals, "said Petro.