Two dancers were hurt after being struck by a falling video panel on stage during a concert by the popular boy band MIRROR late on Thursday, prompting the government to suspend the remaining eight shows for safety checks.
Video circulating on social media appeared to show the massive panel coming loose and landing sideways on one dancer’s head before toppling over, trapping another dancer. The incident at the Hong Kong Coliseum occurred at around 10.35pm.
Authorities say the dancers were rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where one was in a serious condition, and the other stable.
Some fans upset by the shocking scenes broke down as emergency crews rushed to help the stricken dancers before concert organisers asked the audience to leave.
One witness, Evana, said “the people were screaming… [We] were scared and worried, because we didn’t expect such a serious accident to happen at this concert.”
Chief Executive John Lee released a statement early on Friday morning expressing shock at the incident, along with hopes that the victims will recover quickly.
Lee said he told the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to launch an investigation into the incident, and review safety requirements for all such concerts to protect the safety of performers, staff, along with members of the public.
The bureau, meanwhile, issued a separate statement saying the remaining shows would be put on hold until the stage is proven to be structurally safe.
It added that the authorities had previously already contacted concert organisers on Wednesday over a previous series of mishaps.
Other dancers were reported to have suffered injuries during rehearsals earlier this week.
Thursday's was the fourth in a series of 12 planned shows.
Legislator Kenneth Fok, who represents the performing arts constituency, said it is unacceptable for there to be three separate incidents during just the first four MIRROR shows.
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Last updated: 2022-07-29 HKT 01:02