CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Nineteen Linkin Park concert-goers making their way from a parking area to Cape Town Stadium Nov. 7 were injured when temporary scaffolding supporting a sports drink advertisement fell in high winds. One of the injured, a female, later died at the hospital; twelve others required hospitalization after the accident.
The scaffolding collapse occurred a little before 7 p.m., before the concert began, and the band, which hadn’t gotten word of the collapse, performed as usual. Linkin Park issued the following statement on their website after the performance:
Following our performance tonight at Cape Town Stadium, we were advised that several people were injured as a result of the collapse of an advertising tower erected by Lucozade in the parking area outside the venue.
We wish to express our deep sadness and concern for those injured and our heartfelt condolences to the family of the fan who died as a result of her injuries.
Though we have had no relationship with the sponsor or the entity responsible for erecting the structure, we take the safety of our fans very seriously and our thoughts are with all of those who were affected by this tragedy.
The structure was erected to support an ad for Lucozade, a sports drink owned by GlaxoSmithKline. The concert promoter, Big Concerts, had identified Linkin Park’s South African tour, their first, as “presented by Lucozade, 5FM and M-Net.”
GlaxoSmithKline is said to be cooperating with officials investigating what might have gone wrong with the scaffolding, which was reportedly inspected and approved prior to use.
Linkin Park is expected to continue their tour in South Africa. The next performance was slated for Nov. 10 in Johannesburg.
