Inquiry Into Ireland Crowd Crush

Several music fans were injured in a crowd crush at “Jamboree in the Park” in the Ecclesville Centre, Fintona, Nov. 2.

Numerous people were hospitalised after crowds congested around the main entrance and restroom areas during peak times.

The Ambulance Service attended the scene, but there were no reports of serious injuries.

Andrew Short of AJS Promotions, which organised the three-dayer, has admitted his staff was “overwhelmed by the number of people descending on the venue within a short period of time.”

Professor Phil Scraton, one of the authors of a report into the Hillsborough stadium disaster, in which 96 people died, earlier called for an investigation into the safety measures at the show and was critical of the local Omagh council.

He said fans were minutes away from disaster after several of them sustained injuries during the crush.

“Déjà vu of Hillsborough is the first thing I thought when I saw the video footage,” Scraton told BBC News. “These people are in a facility that is not built to accommodate a concert.

“This is similar to the point I made about the Springsteen gig at the King’s Hall showground in Belfast. I had to report that to the Belfast City Council too because of the crowd.”

Scraton also outlined the risks people face when there’s a crowd crush.

“If people go down on the floor and people fall on top of them, they have no more than four minutes to live. We see this happening all over the world,” he said “The biggest issue that has to be answered here is based around the risk assessment. The council needs to give an explanation.

“The licence giver is the council. They have a responsibility”.

So far, Omagh District Council has declined to comment.

The Jamboree featured mostly local country artists, including Mike Denver, Nathan Carter and The High Kings.