BANGKOK: A powerful storm with strong gusts swept through a concert popular with teenagers in Thailand on Thursday (April 30), causing a large entrance sign to collapse on people waiting to enter the venue, leaving one dead and 11 injured.
The Wan Lai Songkran event, held at Pongsiri Market in Khok Sawang subdistrict, Mueang district, Saraburi, featured performances by well-known artists including Polycat, Paradox and Potato.
The event drew large crowds, especially teenagers, who had begun arriving to secure their places from around 4pm.
This led to heavy congestion near the entrance. Later in the evening, a summer storm struck suddenly with strong winds, causing the large entrance arch structure to give way. It collapsed on nearby stalls and members of the public standing at the front, triggering panic and leaving several people injured immediately.
Rescue workers rushed to help those affected. One person, a 17-year-old boy, was confirmed dead. A total of 11 people were injured, comprising six women and five men. Among them, one person was seriously injured after suffering an electric shock. All of the injured were taken to hospital.
Mueang Saraburi chief district officer Chinna-art Rasiakkrasak summoned the event organisers to explain the incident and ordered them to tighten safety measures. The event was still allowed to continue, but only on the condition that strict public safety precautions were put in place. He said that if a similar incident were to occur again, the organisers would bear full responsibility.
The incident caused considerable alarm among those attending the event, and an investigation is now under way into the structural safety standards of the sign, as well as measures to prevent weather-related dangers at the venue. - The Nation/ANN
