64 Injured In China Collapse

A concert featuring singer Faye Wong on Feb. 17 in the Chinese city of Chongquing was canceled just before the star was set to make her entrance after a section of seats suddenly collapsed, injuring 64 people, who fell about 5 feet.

The accident occurred at the Chongqing Olympic Sports Center.

Police reported that none of the injuries was serious but that all those affected by the collapse were rushed to a nearby hospital. Concert organizers and local fire department personnel evacuated the remaining concertgoers from the Sports Center.

The accident involved spectator stands set up specially for the concert.

Wong was to play in the same venue Saturday and Sunday, and the organizers removed the stands and replaced them with folding chairs at ground level.

Those concerts went forward as planned with the help of six large screens to help those at ground level see what was happening on stage. In addition, the canceled concert was rescheduled for the following Monday. Wong’s concerts feature lots of props, including a suspended platform.