DJ killed and others injured during stage collapse at Brazilian festival

A 30-year old DJ named Kaleb Freitas was killed and three others injured in a horrific stage collapse at Atmosphere Festival in Esteio, Brazil.

Frightening fan-caught footage shows the terrifying moment when the enormous stage buckles and falls over while a crowd of about 5,000 looked on on Sunday afternoon. Freitas had played the festival earlier in the weekend and was attending the festival when the stage collapsed. He was immediately rushed to the hospital with critical head injuries, but died soon after arrival.

Severe weather warnings were issued earlier in the day for "gale-force winds and torrential rain", though the festival decided to go ahead despite the conditions. An official investigation has been launched into the circumstances that led to the artist's death, along with three other injuries.

Atmosphere Festival has issued an official statement (originally in 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.”

According to videos recorded by attendees, the huge stage production - which includes LED panels and tall metal arches - crumbles in a matter of seconds as gusty winds blow debris around. Watch below.

Valerie Lee is Mixmag's US Digital Editor. Follow her on Twitter here

[Via: The Journal]