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Colombia: Screams, deaths, and moments of terror at the presence of bulls

Colombia: Screams, deaths, and moments of terror at the presence of bulls

By م.زهير الشاعر

Published: June 27, 2022

Video clips recorded moments of a stadium stand collapse during a bullfighting event in Colombia, where 4 people were killed and hundreds injured.

The first video, filmed from a drone, shows the wrestling arena in the city of El Espinal, central Colombia, where the incident occurred on Sunday.

In the middle of the arena was a raging bull and a large number of people who had entered the arena floor, and suddenly part of the right side of the stand collapsed, then chaos erupted.

In other footage, recorded from another side of the stand, it showed how the stands, consisting of 4 tiers, were completely full.

The video shows that the collapse was fast and sudden in the wooden stand, and screams rose in panic from the sudden event.

José Ricardo Orozco, governor of Tolima province, said to a local radio station after the incident in the city of El Espinal, "There are currently 4 dead, two women, a man, and a child."

Hospitals in the area reported treating about 322 injured, including 4 in intensive care, according to Marta Palacios, health official in Tolima, according to "France Press".

The incident occurred during a local bull event, a popular event where the audience enters the arena to face cows and young bulls.

Luis Fernando Féliz, director of civil defense in Tolima, said: "We are still waiting to find out how many people remain trapped under the rubble. As you can see from the footage, the affected wing was full of people when it collapsed."

Another video clip showed a number of people trying to get out from among the wooden and steel debris while a bull was still roaming the track.

The incident occurred in the Gilberto Charry arena during the celebrations of Saint Pedro’s feast, which is the most popular in the region.

Colombian President Iván Duque said, "We will demand an investigation (...) and we stand in solidarity with the families of the victims."

Orozco warned that he will request "the suspension of all such celebrations" stressing that they "harm animal lives" and contribute to "their mistreatment."

On the eve of the incident, several people were injured by bull attacks during the same celebrations in El Espinal, which has about 78,000 inhabitants and is located 150 kilometers southwest of Bogotá.

President-elect Gustavo Petro wrote in a tweet, "I ask municipalities to no longer allow shows that may involve the death of people or animals," recalling the death of hundreds of people in another arena in the city of Sincelejo in the north of the country in 1980.

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