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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Alahna Kindred

Five dead and at least 500 injured after stand collapses during bullfight sparking chaos

At least five people have died and hundreds more thought to have been injured after part of a stadium collapsed during an annual bullfight.

Footage shared online from Tolima, Colombia shows people jumping into a ring with a bull during the annual San Juan and San Pedro festivities.

As the camera pans to the right, the grandstand is seen collapsing.

Official figures have not been released by authorities but some local reports have estimated up to 500 have been injured.

Ricardo Orozco, the governor of Tolima, initially told local radio that at least four people have been killed, including two women, a man and a child and a further 60 have been wounded, RedMas reports.

However, it is understood the death toll has since increased.

This is the moment part of a stadium collapses on a crowd of people (Ondas1470/Twitter)

Mayor Juan Carlos Tamayo Salas told local media: "I want to ask the citizens who are in the bullring, please, evacuate.

"The control agencies are already attending to the emergency and the wounded have already been evacuated to hospitals."

During the chaos on Sunday afternoon, nine people who jumped in the ring with the bull were hurt, including six who were taken to hospital with serious injuries, local news reports.

This is what the stadium looked like moments before it collapsed (Ondas1470/Twitter)
There are reports that the bull broke out of the ring and ran through the city (Ondas1470/Twitter)

The bull that was also in the ring managed to escape and sparked panic among residents in the area, El Tiempo reports.

Major Luis Fernando Vélez, director of Civil Defense in Tolima told infobae: "There is a patient with serious injuries, he was taken to the hospital in critical condition."

Ever Sarmiento, municipal government secretary, added: "Unfortunately, people who irresponsibly get into the Corralejo cannot be controlled, but we are guaranteeing safety and that the community has a healthy fun at the patron saint festivities."

There are conflicting reports about how many are injured in the stadium collapse in Colombia (Ondas1470/Twitter)

In the wake of this afternoon's tragedy, the president of Colombia has mayors to stop bull shows.

He tweeted: "I hope that all the people affected by the collapse of the Plaza de El Espinal can come out of their wounds unscathed.

"This had already happened before in Sincelejo. I ask the mayors not to authorize more shows with the death of people or animals."

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