Jetty collapses at Spain music festival, injuring more than 300 people

  • 14/08/2018
Many young people were on the port's wooden platform when it collapsed.
Many young people were on the port's wooden platform when it collapsed. Photo credit: Getty Images.

A seaside jetty has collapsed during a music festival in the Spanish city of Vigo, injuring 313 people - five of them seriously.

Many young people were on the port's wooden platform when it gave way around midnight on Sunday (Monday AEST) at the closing event of a three-day festival, officials said.

The wooden boards cracked along a central section, about 40 metres long, and people slid down into the sea below, emergency services said. Eyewitnesses reported scenes of panic.

The head of the Galician region's health authority, Jesus Vazquez Almuina, told Antena 3 television that 313 people required treatment.

The five people who were seriously hurt did not have life-threatening injuries, he said.

epa06947535 General view of the wooden gateway (L), which collapsed during a concert in Vigo, northwestern Spain, 13 August 2018. Some 300 people were wounded in the accident happened last night during a music concert held as part of O Marisquino Festival.  EPA/Salvador Sas

The incident happened shortly as the crowd was listening to the Majorcan rap artist Rels B.

The president of the Vigo port authority, Enrique Cesar Lopez Veiga, said he suspects there was a structural problem in the platform, which is supported by concrete pillars.

He told Cadena Ser radio the platform collapsed "probably because of excessive weight" on it.

Vigo mayor Abel Caballero announced an investigation.

Reuters.