Brazilian DJ Killed When Festival Stage Collapses During Performance

DJ Kaleb Freitas died shortly after being struck by debris from the collapsing stage

High winds at a Brazilian music festival caused a stage to collapse on Sunday, killing a DJ who was performing.

Brazilian DJ Kaleb Freitas was performing at the Atmosphere dance music festival in Esteio, Southern Brazil, when high winds from a passing storm toppled the steel stage, according to CBS News.

Freitas suffered head wounds after being struck by debris from the collapse. He was transported to a local hospital but pronounced dead on arrival, according to the local newspaper Gauchazh.

Although other festivalgoers were reportedly treated for injuries, there are conflicting reports about how many people were hospitalized, according to NPR.

There were about 5,000 people at the festival at the time of the accident, according to TMZ. Several captured the stage collapse on video.

Firefighters said the festival had all the necessary permits in place, according to the New York Daily News, but TMZ said an investigation has been launched as to why the festival didn’t shut down despite severe weather warnings about the gale force winds.

Festival organizers posted a statement written in Portuguese on Facebook Sunday evening apologizing for the tragedy and saying their current priority is to assist the wounded and their families.

The statement was accompanied by a photo with a black ribbon and the word “LUTO,” which means mourning in Portuguese.

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