The casualties included two women, a man and an 18-month-old baby.
In a tragic turn of events at least four spectators including an 18-month-old baby were killed and about 70 seriously injured after a full three-storey section of wooden stands collapsed during a bullfighting festival on Sunday (26 June).
Around 800 spectators were seated in the sections that collapsed at the traditional event called ‘corraleja’ staged in the town of El Espinal, Colombia, provincial officials said.
The bull-running event was tied to the feast day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul and involved locals entering the ring to engage the bulls.
What happened?
Videos of the incident showed part of the stadium tipping forward into the ring. Some audience members fell from other parts of the stands after the portion caved in.
Another video showed people trying to escape from the stands while an unattended bull continued to roam in the arena.
“There are four dead at this moment – two women, a man and a minor,” Tolima provincial governor Jose Ricardo Orozco told a local radio channel.
While emergency crew and revellers tried to help those trapped under the rubble, the bull from the fight escaped the ring and fled the stadium causing panic on the streets of San Pedro.
Around 322 people visited local public and private hospitals after the collapse seeking treatment, local authorities informed. However, no one reported being attacked by the bull on the run.
Ban Corralejas
Around 322 people visited local public and private hospitals after the collapse seeking treatment, local authorities informed.
Outgoing President Ivan Duque called for an investigation about what happened in Sunday’s disaster.
“We lament the terrible tragedy registered in El Espinal, Tolima, during the festivals of San Pedro and San Juan, with the collapse of the stands during a corraleja,” he tweeted.
“We will call for an investigation.”
Meanwhile, Colombia’s new president Gustavo Petro urged local officials to ban these amateur bullfights after a similar mishap caused serious injuries to three people at an earlier event in Sincelejo.
Another person died earlier this month in the northern town of Repelon after being gored by a bull during a traditional spectacle.
Petro said on Twitter: “I hope that all the people affected by the collapse of the Plaza de El Espinal can come out of their wounds unscathed.
“This had already happened before in Sincelejo.
“I ask the mayors not to authorise more shows with the death of people or animals.”
Share this story: Four killed, 70 injured in Colombia after stadium collapses during bullfight.
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Gordon Ramsay Ditches Vegan Hate and Backs Flora’s Plant-Based Butter in New ‘Skip the Cow’ Campaign
- Totally Vegan Buzz Team
- 28th January 2025
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, once infamous for his digs at vegans, has taken a sharp turn in the kitchen. Ramsay has teamed up with Flora, the famous UK-based spread brand, as its global ambassador, marking a bold new chapter in Flora’s “Skip the Cow” campaign. Flora, established in 1964, has long been a household name …
The Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Places in Latin America
- Totally Vegan Buzz Team
- 27th January 2025
Latin America is experiencing an extraordinary rise in plant-based dining options. A new study, spearheaded by Veganuary in partnership with the food discovery platform HappyCow, reveals that Latin America now boasts over 10,000 vegan, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly restaurants—an impressive 21.6% jump compared to last year. Brazil takes the crown as the number one country, with …
Continue reading “The Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Places in Latin America”
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. [wpViralQuiz id=27203]
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. [wpViralQuiz id=33494]
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. [wpViralQuiz id=31281] Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God