60 hurt in JLS crowd surge « Express & Star

60 hurt in JLS crowd surge

An investigation was under way today into how scores of people were
injured in a crowd surge during a performance by the group JLS at a
Christmas lights switch-on.

Four people needed hospital treatment and 60 others were injured after
a metal barrier collapsed as the X-Factor runners-up took to the stage
in Birmingham city centre.

Video footage taken by onlookers showed the barrier collapsing under
the weight of 20,000 fans surging forward.

The planned concert and lights switch-on were cancelled as paramedics
set up a medical unit at Birmingham’s Millennium Point to treat the
injured.

Birmingham City Council organised the free event to mark the city’s
Christmas lights switch-on and a host of chart-topping acts, including
the Sugababes, Tinchy Stryder, Chipmunk, Little Boots, Alexandra Burke,
were due to perform.

But as JLS sang their latest hits, the barrier gave way to the surging
crowd of fans, leaving the council little option but to cancel the
remainder of the event.

Victoria Royce-Pagett, who was in the audience with her daughter, said:
“The frenzy started and people started running towards the front and we
got caught within the crowds, so we had no choice but to go with the
flow.

“It was extraordinarily terrifying for myself and my daughter.”
Martin Krol and Rachel Liddiard filmed the crowd on a mobile phone.
In it, Ms Liddiard said: “All hell has broken loose.

“Look what they (the crowd) have done. There are a load of people on
the floor and policemen are picking them up. People just don’t care,
they’ve just lost it.”

Mr Krol added: “People are going to get killed. I think I should phone
the police and say they need riot guys down here. They’ve lost
control.”

West Midlands Ambulance Service said one woman in her 30s suffered
serious crush injuries to her pelvis, shoulder and leg, while another
suffered a broken ankle in the surge, which happened at about 1.30pm
yesterday.

A teenage boy also fractured his wrist in the melee, while a girl in
her teens suffered crush injuries to her back and legs.

Martin Mullaney, in charge of leisure, sport and culture at the
council, said the authority would be holding a thorough investigation
in to what went wrong.

He said: “I fully support the joint decision to abandon the concert
because public safety has to be our immediate concern.
“I would sooner read headlines about red faces than read headlines
about a tragedy.”

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