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Chilean stadium collapses on thousands of fans during team training

chile monumental stadium
Chile’s monumental stadium. Photo: WikiCommons

Part of the structure of the Monumental Stadium in the Chilean capital Santiago collapsed today as fans of local football team Colo-Colo performed its classic “arengazo” — when thousands gather to support the team during its last training session before a key match.

Hundreds of chanting supporters standing on the stadium’s roof fell to the ground after the structure gave way under their weight. 

According to Chilean newspaper La Tercera, at least eight people were wounded, two of them had fractured limbs. Numbers could rise as the health condition of supporters gets updated. The team suspended practice after the incident.

Arengazos are a regular occurrence and are authorized by the club, although fans are supposed to be in the stands and not reach the roof of the stadium. 

Colo-Colo fans had struggled to find tickets for the match earlier this week, with 150,000 supporters queuing up to buy the 40,000 spots available. The team currently leads Chile’s first division and is set to face its closest rival Universidad Católica this weekend.

The incident occurred the same week as another derby match between Universidad Católica and Universidad de Chile was suspended after improper use of fireworks. One of the explosives hit Universidad de Chile goalkeeper Martín Parra, who suffered a “severe acoustic traumatism” and left the stadium in an ambulance.

A Daddy Yankee concert in Santiago was also a source of alarm this week after thousands of ticketless fans crushed the gates to enter the stadium, attacking security guards and causing multiple avalanches that forced a temporary suspension.

Public safety is a constant concern in South American football. This year’s Copa Libertadores Final, scheduled to take place in Guayaquil, Ecuador, has raised fears about violence due to the wave of murders seen in the city during the last few weeks.

This is a developing story.