High School Stage Collapse In California Injures 40 Students
Over forty students from Sister Catholic School Rosary High School were admitted to hospitals in Anaheim, Orange County after a stage collapsed in the midst of a performance. According to LA Times, who quoted Anaheim Police Department spokesperson Tim Schmidt, the stage collapse happened at the Servite High School auditorium in the midst of an event. The report adds that there were at least 250 girls on stage at the time of the incident. Another report claims the number of people on stage being close to 400. This is yet to be verified.
According to Schmidt, early investigations have revealed that the front part of the stage gave away owing to the unprecedented weight of 250 people assembled atop it. Orange County fire investigators reached the scene of the collapse soon after the incident and are trying to determine the exact cause of the stage collapse.
In the meantime, 30-40 students were rushed to nearby hospitals with minor injuries. Authorities have confirmed that none of the injuries are life threatening. There are 24 students who have suffered moderate injuries that include broken bones. The stage collapse happened before 11 pm PST after which fire-fighters and medics were pressed into service following an emergency call.
Fox News reports that the students assembled at the venue were participating in “Red and Gold,” which is Rosary High’s annual musical theatre challenge in which the entire student body is divided into two teams and compete aginst each other in various categories that include choral, dance, drill, drama, fashion, media, historian, props, publicity, script, stage tech, and athletic trainers.
The area near the stage was packed with over 400 people that included parents and students from the schools. Servite High School is an all-boys school while the Sister Catholic Rosary High School is an all-girls school located at Fullerton. Both the schools have put up a joint statement on their respective websites that reads thus;
On Saturday night March 8, during Rosary High School’s Production of Red & Gold at Servite High School, a portion of the stage collapsed. Injured students were transported to local hospitals. Our thoughts and prayers are with the students and their families.
