A strong storm may have contributed to the collapse of a theater roof in Illinois. When the organ struck, a concert was going on in the building, attended by 260 people. Panic broke out. According to the law enforcement department, one person died and 28 others were injured in the accident.
Destructive storms hit the US Mideast on Friday. This element brought hail, strong winds and in some places tornadoes.
A death
The storm passed Belvidere, Illinois, about 110 kilometers west of Chicago. That evening, a death metal concert was taking place in the historic Apollo Theater building, with 260 people inside. Rain and strong winds lashed the theater and at one point the roof collapsed.
There was panic in the building. Witnesses said pieces of the roof fell on the concertgoers, crushing many. Others rushed to help, trying to rescue victims from the rubble.
Witnesses reported seeing the street covered in bricks and bloodied people running out of the building. “It’s chaos, absolute chaos,” Shane Woody of the Belvidere Police Department told CBS.
At least one person died and 28 were injured, five of them seriously, according to emergency services. The rescue operation lasted for three hours.
Panic after movie theater roof collapses in IllinoisReuters/Jessica Bahena Hernandez
Dangerous storms
Although officials have not confirmed that severe weather was the cause of the roof collapse, it is the most likely explanation. The storm also damaged buildings across the street, and damaged gas lines and transmission networks in the area. Belvidere police said a tornado may have hit the city, but that has yet to be confirmed by the National Weather Service (NWS).
Panic after movie theater roof collapses in IllinoisReuters/Jessica Bahena Hernandez
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Main photo source: Reuters/Jessica Bahena Hernandez
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