Festival attendees injured in crowd surge at Boardmasters in Newquay
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(Credit: Wikimedia/Boardmasters)
A group of attendees at the Boardmasters festival in Newquay have been injured after a crowd surge, which one goer said caused people to be “crushed against the barriers.”
The incident was described by others as causing people, including children, to have crushed bones in a “terrifying” turn of events, which took place during the Tom Odell set on Friday, August 9th.
The festival, which is scheduled to run for the rest of the weekend, boasts Sam Fender, Becky Hill, Katy B, Courteeners and more, with Stormzy, Kate Nash, and Los Bitchos among the acts yet to perform.
Although the Devon and Cornwall police confirmed no serious injuries were caused, they stated they were called to an incident which “left a small number of attendees injured.”
They added that those hurt in the surge were “being treated on-site by medical staff or have been taken to hospital to be checked over” and that what occurred was “an isolated incident and the festival continues.”
One woman, who was standing at the front barrier with her daughter, described the situation as “terrifying” and was forced to lift her daughter to prevent her from being hurt by the surge.
She told PA Media: “It was terrifying. My husband stayed outside the barriers with our youngest but my older daughter wanted to [go] inside. When we went in, it wasn’t too bad but it started getting very, very crowded so we tried to move out. We couldn’t get out as there were still so many people streaming in.”
Adding: “My daughter and I got crushed against the barriers so I heaved her up and over a barrier and then pulled myself out.”
Other attendees have reported broken bones, with one claiming to have carried an injured child for two hours while they sought help. Another video circulating on social media shows goers attempting to climb onto a nearby platform to escape the crushed conditions inside the crowd.
Crowd surges have been a growing issue at concerts and festivals over the last few years, with high-profile musicians and political figures calling for greater safety measures at such events. However, Boardmasters states it remains committed to safety as its “number one priority” while confirming performances will “continue as planned.”
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