Stage Collapse In Brazil Kills DJ, Wounds Others: Breaking

DJ Kaleb Freitas was killed Dec. 17 during the Atmosphere festival in Brazil after strong winds blew over part of the stage at the electronic music party in Rio Grande.

– Kaleb Freitas
via Facebook

The Atmosphere event gathered an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 people and was in its fifth year, according to Colombian news outlet Publimetro, taking place in the city of Esteio, Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre.

Atmosphere festival issued the following statement (translated from Portuguese): “We always cherish the security of our audience, following all the processes, reports and authorisations requested by the local authorities.

“And to our audience we will keep them informed of all our actions to keep the truth about the facts that have occurred.

“We’re sorry, we lost a friend, an artist. Our priority is to assist the wounded and their families. We thank the military brigade and the fire department for all assistance.” <iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/8FPuCGY0TMk” frameborder=”0″ gesture=”media” allow=”encrypted-media” allowfullscreen></iframe>

Artists who had already played or were scheduled to perform included Vicios, Dostrescinco, La Triple Nelson, Trotsky Vengaran, Once Tiros La Trampa, and Vultures.

Multiple local news outlets reported that the event had the proper permits to be staged but failed to withstand the adverse weather conditions.

According to G1 Globo news, the event could have been canceled, with a local coordinator of civil defense saying there were warnings of heavy wind, hail and torrential rain. G1 said at least three others were injured. 

Freitas lived in Brazil and received numerous tributes and remembrances on his Facebook page.

Pollstar reached out to the event’s organizers in Brazil and will update this story as more information becomes available.