Pukkelpop Collapsed Stage

The Pukkelpop organisers have decided to cancel the festival following the deaths of five festival goers after The Chateau Stage collapsed in high winds yesterday. 75 others were also injured in the disaster that also wreaked havoc on The Other Stage.

The Statement Read:

“Pukkelpop is in deep mourning. We truly sympathise with the families and friends of the victims. Words are not enough. We have struggled with the decision to continue the festival. Therefore we have decided to cancel Pukkelpop 2011. What has happened is very exceptional and could not have been predicted. We are deeply moved by all the spontaneous support the festivalgoers and the organisation have received. We call on all Pukkelpoppers to return home calmly. Extra buses and trains have been organised to bring everybody home. We ask everyone to understand that this decision was extremely difficult to make.”

The festival has yet to announce whether it will be issuing refunds.

Strictly Our Opinion: This is the second major disaster in the last two years at European Festivals, following the horrific events at Germany’s Love Parade festival last year, raising more questions about the primacy of festival safety and security. We’ll have more on the issue of festival safety later in the week.