Stair Collapse Leaves 7 Hurt

Seven people were badly hurt when a wooden staircase at a Utrecht music festival in Holland collapsed, causing at least 20 fans to fall into the water.

The accident happened at the city’s annual Musical Boat Parade August 6th, which attracted thousands to listen to acts performing on floating stages on the canals of central Utrecht.

The city authority and the local police have already launched separate investigations into the accident, which seems to have been caused by the staircase breaking free of a wall that runs alongside the canal wharf.

Many of the people standing on the stairs fell into the canal or on to the boats moored at the edge, prompting police divers to search for victims in the water.

Ambulances ferried the injured to a local hospital, where 20 were detained overnight. Two days later, seven were still in the hospital and at least one of them was believed to be in intensive care.

Mayor Annie Brouwer-Korf visited the scene the following day, expressing her regret and announcing the local authority investigation.

“It was terrible, I saw people covered with blood,” one witness said. “There were many people standing on the stairs, jumping and dancing to the music and then the whole structure suddenly collapsed.”

– John Gammon