At least four people have been killed in the collapse of the grandstand of an arena in the town of El Espinal in Central Colombia. Dozens of others were injured, about 30 of them seriously. Governor Jose Ricardo Orozco said this to local media, international news agencies report.
The accident happened during a popular bullfighting show called a corraleja, where members of the public are encouraged to enter the ring to attack the bulls. Part of the three-storey wooden grandstand, full of spectators, collapsed for unknown reasons. The dead included two women, a man and a minor, the governor said. The death toll is feared to rise further.
According to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo A bull managed to escape after the incident, causing panic in the streets of Espinal, about 150 kilometers southwest of the capital Bogotá. A local councilor told the newspaper that the nearest hospital cannot handle the large number of injured. He has asked neighboring hospitals for support.