One woman died and 19 others were injured outside a Linkin Park concert on Wednesday in Cape Town, South Africa when a wind gust blew down a promotional billboard. Although the concert went on as planned, the band later released a statement of condolences for those injured and to the family of the woman who passed. In the meantime, an investigation is underway to find out more information.
“One person passed away last night as a result of injuries. It was a female individual. She passed away after she was taken to the hospital,” said city spokeswoman Kylie Hatton of the incident which occurred at Green Point Stadium. Of the other 19 people injured in the accident, 12 were taken to the hospital.
The band was not made aware of the woman’s death until after the concert but once they found out, they immediately posted the following statement to their official website:
Following our performance tonight at Cape Town Stadium, we were advised that several people were injured as a result of the collapse of an advertising tower erected by Lucozade in the parking area outside the venue. We wish to express our deep sadness and concern for those injured and our heartfelt condolences to the family of the fan who died as a result of her injuries. Though we have had no relationship with the sponsor or the entity responsible for erecting the structure, we take the safety of our fans very seriously and our thoughts are with all of those who were affected by this tragedy.
GlaxoSmithKline, the parent company of Lucozade, who sponsored the shows, tweeted from their local Lucozade account to also express their sympathies. “GSK & Lucozade express their shock and extreme sadness about the accident last night. Our immediate concern is for victims & their families and our thoughts and prayers are with them,” they wrote.
