The gantry that crushed and killed a young man on the Medusa was anchored with two flower pots

The Cullera Civil Guard and the judicial expert continue to investigate the causes of the tragic accident that occurred at the Medusa Sunbeach Festival to determine exactly all the factors and circumstances that caused the collapse of the metal structures.

The engineer appointed by the judge and the agents who inspected the premises took photographs and measured the support elements of the stage and the porches of the entrance and the service area, where the 22-year-old died and most of the injured were crushed or beaten by the irons.

As confirmed by research sources, the metal structure that crushed the only fatal victim of the accident had two columns anchored with two pots filled with earth that weighed more than 1,000 kilograms each.

The judicial expert carefully examined the two containers to calculate with a mathematical formula the weight and resistance of both, although the engineer who supervised the installation before the festival began had already determined that the pots filled with earth had a higher weight. of 1,000 kilos.

In addition, the Civil Guard specialists and the expert also inspected and photographed the straps used to tie the metal columns of the portico to the containers that performed the function of counterweight.

After inspecting the collapsed structures twice, the expert will have to make a report to determine the weight of the anchoring elements and their resistance to strong gusts of wind such as those that caused the thermal blowout in the early hours of August 13.

As for the main stage, the structure was assembled by a company contracted by the event organizers and later inspected by an engineer, the same one who supervised the planters that anchored the entrance porches and other areas of the venue.

As this newspaper reported, the metal structure had a large number of 1,000-liter water tanks at its base to support the stage and resist the force of the wind. The containers were in the rear and could not be seen from the esplanade where the public was.

Once the platform, similar to the iron framework of a scaffolding, was assembled, the Fallas artist Manolo García and his team limited themselves to fastening with cable ties and wires the decorative sheet metal facing that they had made on behalf of the Medusa Sunbeach Festival.

anticipation of the tragedy

Six hours before the young man’s death due to the collapse of one of the metal structures, several young people recorded with their mobile phones how the first piece of the main stage fell, specifically a piece of crown, due to a gust of air, but the staff the festival removed the piece of sheet metal and the music continued as if nothing had happened. It was 9:59 p.m. on August 12.

Several of the injured believe that the festival’s security board should have suspended the event then, just as the Cullera City Council did by not authorizing the fireworks display that same night.

The day after the tragedy, the Civil Guard verified that some anchor points of the main stage were intact despite having the same fastening elements as the part knocked down by the wind. This confirms the erratic action of the gusts of more than 80 kilometers per hour that triggered the warm blowout. The tongue of hot air affected the metal structures of the enclosure very unequally.

The latest weather forecast

The last meteorological information bulletin sent by the Emergency Coordination Center to the municipalities, prior to the tragic accident, was at 10:10 p.m. on Friday. The part warned of the risk of storms, with a yellow level, in the interior of the province of Valencia, but did not include the coast.

However, half an hour before the hot air blizzard brought down several metal structures in the Medusa, the State Meteorological Agency warned on Twitter that the fearsome hot blowouts were taking place in the Valencian Community.

In addition to the expert opinion on the anchorages, the Swedish judge instructing the case has commissioned another report from an expert climatologist from the State Meteorological Agency in the Valencian Community to have more information on the inclement weather before taking a statement from the organizers of the event.