A total of 53 people were injured after the collapse of a stand in the municipal hall of Totonicapanin the west of Guatemaladuring the New Year festivities.
According to the Departmental Municipal Firefighters and Volunteer Firefighters, among the injured are 22 minors and 31 adultsof which five remain under observation at the José Felipe Flores Hospital.
The incident occurred while dozens of families were waiting for the start of a traditional treat in the multipurpose room of the local town hall.
Fernando Canastuan eyewitness, reported that the collapsed stands were located next to the stage and that numerous children were in the structure at the time of the collapse. “I would like to appeal to conscience, mainly to the organization of this event. I understand that it is a fortuitous event, but in activities of this magnitude, prior supervision must be carried out,” Canastú declared to the local newspaper. Free press.
A video shared on social networks shows the moment of collapse and neighbors running to help the injured. Calls were immediately made to the emergency services, who transported those affected to the departmental hospital.
The organizing committee of the event issued a statement regretting what happened and announcing the suspension of one of the presentations for security reasons.
However, They decided to continue with the other activities in a different area of the room. “I think we cannot cancel it. We want to clarify that there are no deaths, thank God. “The structure was not overloaded,” he stated. Raul Barrenoa member of the committee, in public statements.
Organizers also expressed solidarity with the injured and promised to provide support to affected families. Nevertheless, Neighbors in the area pointed out the lack of supervision in the assembly of the stands, which had already been used in previous events without incident, although it is unknown if it met the necessary safety conditions.
The collapse has raised questions about the organization of mass events and the responsibility of local authorities to ensure the safety of attendees.
