Stage Collapse at Sugarland Concert in Indy is Deadly

At least four people were killed and 40 people were injured in a stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair during a severe thunderstorm on Saturday night.

Indiana State Police confirmed the fatalities and said the injuries to some victims are so severe that the death toll could rise.

The video is chilling.

The collapse happened about 8:50 p.m. as Sugarland, a country music act, was preparing to perform on the fair's main stage.

The National Weather Service said winds estimated at 60 to 70 mph hit the stage ahead of a line of severe thunderstorms.

A severe thunderstorm warning had been issued for Marion County before the collapse.

An on-site emergency center was set up at the fairgrounds immediately after the collapse. Other people at the concert converged on the collapsed stage in the immediate aftermath, trying to pull the injured from beneath the mangled wreckage.

"It's gratifying to know that people at a moment's notice will jump in to help others," Bursten said.
"After the stage fell, it was complete chaos. Everyone had froze," said Jason Scofield, who was at the concert. "There was hundreds of people trying to lift the front of the stage up."

Some patients were taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital and Methodist Hospital, both equipped with trauma facilities. Hospitals brought in extra personnel to handle an influx of patients.

Other patients were taken by ambulance to various hospitals in and around Indianapolis, and some were driven to hospitals. Several children were among those injured, and at least three of them were taken to Riley Hospital for Children.

Officials asked anyone worried about a loved one they haven't heard from after the stage collapse to contact the American Red Cross, which opened its headquarters on East 10th Street in Indianapolis. People trying to get in touch with loved ones can call the Red Cross

Sugarland posted this message on the band's Facebook wall:

"You may see on the news that our stage collapsed tonight. We are all right. We are praying for our fans, and for the people of Indianapolis," the post read. "We hope you will join us. They need your strength."

Storms, Floods Hit Arkansas

Powerful storms spawned a deadly tornado in Arkansas caused rivers to swell Tuesday across the Midwest, straining levees that protect thousands of homes and forcing panicked residents of one town to flee for higher ground.

Six inches of rain fell Monday alone in the southeastern Missouri community of Poplar Bluff, bringing the four-day total to 15 inches. The deluge caused the Black River to pour over a levee in 30 places, and about 1,000 homes were evacuated.

Deputy Police Chief Jeff Rolland said it was a "miracle" that the levee had held until late morning. He credited emergency crews for their work to bolster weakened areas of the barrier and for evacuating residents from about 1,000 homes.

The storm system has dumped relentless rain on several states over the past week, including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee. As the worst of the system moved north and east into Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Tennessee, the region was bracing for a second round of storms.