Fans watch in horror as stage collapses, killing 4

INDIANAPOLIS - Four people were killed and about 40 injured after a stage collapsed during a storm Saturday night at the Indiana State Fair, where the country group Sugarland was set to perform, authorities confirmed.

Strong winds were blamed for causing the stage rigging for the outdoor concert to collapse at the fairgrounds in Indianapolis. Fans were trapped and injured in the accident shortly before 9 p.m. It happened before the band had taken the stage.

Opening act Sara Bareilles had finished her set by commenting what a beautiful night it was, the Indianapolis Star reported. Fewer than 30 minutes later, the stage set was on the ground.

At a news briefing early Sunday, Indiana State Police confirmed four deaths and said the injured were taken to Methodist and Wishard hospitals.

'Then we heard screams'

The stage rigging fell onto the track as thousands of concertgoers were being evacuated to a nearby building because of high winds. The injured were moved to a tunnel below the stage, the Star reported.

"It was like it was in slow motion," concertgoer Amy Weathers told the Star. "You couldn't believe it was actually happening."

Cummings said he and his friends, along with about a third of the crowd, went ahead and sought shelter in a nearby barn after seeing the weather radar.

"Then we heard screams. We heard people just come running," he said.

Witnesses told WTHR that some of the injured were in a VIP section in front of the stage known as the "Sugar Pit." The witnesses said a wall of dirt, dust, rain and wind came up the main thoroughfare of the fairgrounds just before the collapse.

'Panic kicked in'

"The gust of wind came, there was no rain yet and the production fell from left to right," said Star reporter David Lindquist, who was at the fairgrounds for the Sugarland concert. "And you could see, you could clearly see people were under the footprint of the rigging."

"Panic kicked in when they saw the dust bowl coming in from the Midway," concertgoer Darryl Cox told WTHR.

Another fan, Emily Davis, told WTHR that there was lightning and the sky had gotten dark but it wasn't raining when the wind suddenly toppled the rigging. "It was horrible, people were running and going crazy."

Late Saturday, Sugarland tweeted: "We are all right. We are praying for our fans, and the people of Indianapolis. We hope you'll join us. They need your strength."