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Horrifying video shows stand at bullfight collapse leaving six dead, including a child, and 500 injured

Bulls ran from the stadium grounds into the streets of Tolima in fright as the revelers were trying to help those who were trapped

This article contains distressing information. Discretion is advised.

The partial collapse of a bull ring at a bullfighting festival in Colombia caused the death of at least six, reports claim. The catastrophe also left hundreds injured as one of the packed stands came apart at the stadium. A clip caught the horrifying moment the three-tier wooden framework was seen crumbling all over the ground at the improvised stadium in El Espinal, Colombia.

Bulls ran from the stadium grounds into the streets of Tolima in fright as the revelers were trying to help those who were trapped. At least nine were hurt after they jumped into the ring and were followed by a charging bull.

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Six people have been pronounced dead and at least 500 were injured. Jose Ricardo Orozco, the governor of Tolima department, told a local radio station that a child, two women, and a man were killed in the carnage. 

The footage shows how children, men, and women were trampled upon as the stands collapsed. The boxes tipped forward before they hit the ground. Other members of the audience fell from several parts of the stands after portions of the stadium caved in. Emergency crews were quickly sent to rescue those who were stuck under the collapsed stands.

The exact cause of the collapse is yet to be determined but Major Luis Fernando Vélez, director of Civil Defense in Tolima, said, "There is a patient with serious injuries, he was taken to the hospital in critical condition, there he was stabilised." Authorities then urged those present at the stadium to try and remain calm. 

A spokesperson from the Espinal's Mayor's Office said, "We deeply regret what happened in the bullring. We want to call for calm to the entire community." They added, "Once the emergency became known, the relief agencies acted immediately, achieving the evacuation of the injured for primary care at the San Rafael Hospital in the municipality."

Authorities and officials are now investigating what caused the collapse. Meanwhile, Colombia's new President Gustavo Petro has called for bullfights to be halted in the country, citing the danger to public life. He sent out a tweet that read, "I hope that all the people affected by the collapse of the Plaza de El Espinal can come out of their wounds unscathed. This had already happened before in Sincelejo. I ask the mayors not to authorise more shows with the death of people or animals."

A user shared a horrifying clip that showed the extent of the carnage.