Audiences in Hong Kong were left stunned when a suspended video screen fell onto the stage and injured two dancers at a performance by popular Cantopop boy band Mirror on Thursday night.
Screams erupted at the Hong Kong Coliseum as the huge screen appeared to detach from one of the two metal cords that suspended it in mid-air. The edge of the screen fell directly onto one dancer before falling onto another.
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Performers and staff rushed to the stage to render aid. The concert was stopped and fans were asked to leave the venue.
Staff rushed to the stage to help the injured dancers while fans were asked to leave the venue. Twitter / jakshahi_
According to local media reports, the dancer who was hit first, Li Qiyan (also called Ah Mo), is in serious condition. On Friday, he was still in the intensive care unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. A Hong Kong newspaper reported that the dancer fractured the third and fourth vertebrae in his neck and claimed that his limbs were also paralyzed. It is not yet clear whether Qiyan will regain mobility in his limbs.
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The second dancer struck by the screen reportedly sustained minor injuries and was released from hospital on Friday.
None of the 12 members of boy band Mirror were injured in the incident.
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The broken screen that fell from its suspension during a Mirror concert in Hong Kong on Thursday. Twitter / jakshahi_
Multiple outlets reported that fans were visibly shaken by the crash, with many seen crying and even fainting at the scene.
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The organizer of the MakerVille concert has promised to investigate the incident. The remaining eight Mirror concerts in their 12-show run have been canceled and tickets will be refunded.
Hong Kong’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Secretary Kevin Yeung revealed during a press conference on Friday that faulty suspension cables caused the screen to fall.
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“We take this incident very seriously, because the security of the performance stage is very important,” he said in Cantonese at the press conference.
Yeung also stated that government personnel would help investigate how the screen fell to ensure safety for future performances at the Hong Kong Coliseum, which is run by the country’s government.
Chris Sun, the Labor and Welfare Secretary, also spoke at the press conference, saying the government will take legal action if the inquiry deems it necessary.
“Today, we issued a temporary suspension notice, requesting that all work on the original suspension devices be stopped,” Sun said in Cantonese.
The horrific accident was just the latest in several safety concerns expressed by fans and staff about the concert series.
On Tuesday, a member of the group Mirror, Frankie Chan Sui-fai, fell off the stage, prompting more than 13,000 fans to sign a petition demanding that enhanced security measures be put in place.
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Fans also complained of visibly wobbly platforms and inadequate technical cues that caused Mirror members and background dancers to trip and fall during previous shows.
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Vice News reported that a dancer fell into a hole and was sent to the hospital during a dress rehearsal on Monday. Several of the other dancers on the tour posted black screens on Instagram in protest of the working conditions.
An anonymous member of the production team spoke to Vice News, claiming that there wasn’t enough time to even do a full dress rehearsal for the show before the concerts began.
“There wasn’t enough time and everything was rushed,” said the crew member. “They might have underestimated the complexity of the performance and the ingenuity.”
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.