Crowd stampede at Australian festival leaves 60 people injured
People slipped and fell at the front of the crowd, trying to leave a performance by the Australian music band DMA's
Australian police said 60 people were injured at a music festival in Victoria State's Lorne town during a human crush triggered by festival-goers.
The chaotic stampede began on Friday night at the Falls Festival in Lorne on Victoria's south-west coast, when several people slipped and fell at the front of the crowd, trying to leave a performance by the Australian band DMA's.
In the aftermath of the incident more than 19 people were taken to hospital with serious injuries but none were life-threatening, Victorian police said in a statement.
Victoria state Health Commander Paul Holman said paramedics assessed around 60 people hurt in the ensuing crush. Some suffered leg, rib, hip and pelvic fractures, head injuries and possible spinal injuries, while others only received cuts and abrasions.
Enormous thanks & gratitude to our paramedics & health services for their response & ongoing support for people injured at #fallsfestival
— JillHennessyMP (@JillHennessyMP) December 30, 2016
"While the injuries are significant, this could have been quite a tragedy and we are grateful that the outcome was not worse," Holman said.
The festival's organisers announced on Facebook that it was suspended after the incident but normal programming would resume on Saturday.