The Pukkelpop Festival Storm Disaster

[lorenzo]

This video shows some of those who managed to find cover in a pretty intense storm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67ZqrigZdv8

Vids away now !

[Coast]

The death toll at the Pukkelpop music festival in Belgium, hit by a sudden violent storm, has now risen to five, say local officials.

Staging collapsed, giant screens fell, tents were flattened and trees were uprooted in the space of minutes after the storm struck. Dozens more people were hurt, several seriously. Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme has sent his condolences to the families of the victims. Reports say organisers have now decided to cancel the rest of the event.

"During the night, the fifth festival-goer died in hospital. I think that the organisation of Pukkelpop rightly took the courageous decision to stop the festival," Hasselt mayor Hilde Claes was quoted as saying on the website of De Standaard newspaper.

About 60,000 people were believed to be at the event, one of Europe's largest outdoor festivals, when the storm hit. Headline acts this year were set to include Eminem, Foo Fighters and the Ting Tings. "Then suddenly, there was a downpour. The wind blew violently. There were hailstones bigger than a centimetre falling... Trees toppled over. "It was unbelievable, the end of the world," she said.

Within 10 minutes, the storm had turned the festival site into a scene of mud and destruction, reports said.More than 20 ambulances raced to and from the site near Hasselt, some 50 miles (80km) east of Brussels. More-lightly injured people were being treated at a local sports complex. Many festival-goers were inside tents which collapsed when the storm hit.

"People were trying to get out of this tent that collapsed by using their pocket knives and cutting holes in the fabric.""It was mass panic," Laura Elegeert, 17, told AP news agency.

Two cranes were brought in to try to lift the largest tent late on Thursday - which collapsed as the band Smith Westerns was playing - but the festival grounds appeared to be too swamped to allow them access, AP said. It was the second consecutive year of tragedy for Pukkelpop. Last year, lead singer of the group Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, Charles Haddon, committed suicide at the event. Five people were killed last week at a festival in the US state of Indiana, when a stage collapsed in high winds.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...europe-14586001

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSfVwV5gCNQ

The Chateau stage at the Pukkelpop festival, near the town of Hasselt in eastern Belgium, was apparently destroyed when trees were blown over in strong winds and crashed into rigging. The Shelter stage was also damaged but is not thought to have caused any injuries. Some giant TV screens also fell down. An estimated 60,000 people were at the three-day festival when the storm broke on Thursday.

Video from the site showed stage equipment dangling in gales as rain-battered festivalgoers ran for shelter. Hugo Simons, Hasselt's head of emergency medical planning, told VRT radio that three people died, 11 were severely injured while 60 sustained light injuries as a result of the storm.Hilde Claes, Hasselt's mayor, said those injured were taken to nearby hospitals.

Dutch NOS television reporter Rick Hoogkamp, who was attending the festival said the sky got dark, winds picked up violently and hailstones pelted those gathered. He said several tents collapsed. Images and video of the disaster also showed fallen trees and fallen lighting scaffolds.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/18/pukkelpop-belgium-festival-killer-storm

[Coast]

Heavy rain

Brussels Region Halle-Brussels afterwards the storm moved to Limburg/Antwerp Brussel/Bruxelles

Belgium (50.85 N, 4.35 E)

18-08-2011 (Thursday) 16:45 UTC (+/- 15 min.)

Based on: information from an eye-witness report, a newspaper report, a television or radio broadcast, a report on a website

Occurring over: land land use where event was first observed: land

The event was convective.

Damage to property: Tunnels. subways and streets are flooded

Heavy rain detected at 16:45 in Brussels. The subway tunnels were flooded and the tunnels on big roads are also closed. There are also problems due to lightning strikes on railway infrastructure. Later on, the Pukkelpop festival (in Hasselt) was stroke by a heavy downburst and rain which led to 3 fatal casualities and > 40 persons wounded. Trees were downed too. In the Tienen region a roof was blown off. http://www.deredacti...eek/programmas/ journaal/2.17088/2.17089/1.1090112 http://www.weatherse...199.msg5986/top icseen.html#new

report status: as received (QC0)

http://www.essl.org/...n/eswd/eswd.cgi

http://www.deredacti...stream/1.764709

http://uk.ibtimes.co...-ting-tings.htm

[Coast]

Starting cloudy with Ac and some light showers in morning. From noon large breaks, but from 1600 onwards moderate thundery outbreaks with at first gusts up to 40 kt, thunder activity eased off around 1930. Between 2100-2330 again some showers. Total rain = 20 mm. Today, between late afternoon-evening, moderate thunderstorms over all provinces. Over both Brabants, Limbourg, Liège, Hainaut and Namur some were severe due to large hail, strong winds (including weak tornado near Diest). Five persons died during a pop festival near Hasselt (Limbiurg). Strongest gust via the official stations: Beauvechain 43 kt.

http://www.skystef.b...r-diary1108.htm

Nearest weather station, historical data I can find is for Maastricht, Holland:

[Coast]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLO5zl5s4XY&feature=related