A 41-year-old man died and at least six others were injured Friday afternoon after a large sign collapsed at a Christian music festival in West Sussex, England.
Sussex Police said officers were called to the Big Church Festival at Wiston Park, near the village of Steyning, at approximately 3:38 p.m. local time. The man who died was from Eastbourne. At least six other people were taken to hospital.
Festival organizers shut the event down following the incident. The Big Church Festival describes itself as the UK's largest Christian festival. This year's edition was sold out, had opened Friday, and was scheduled to run through Sunday.
A witness at the festival, Theo Saville, told the BBC that a large wooden sign collapsed near the entrance to a tented area. "The sign fell in the direction of the wind," he said. He added that festival-goers were told to return to their tents shortly after the collapse and that an air ambulance landed at the scene.
Andrew Griffith, the MP for Arundel and South Downs, said there had been strong wind gusts in the area that afternoon. "Concerned to hear reports of casualties at the Big Church festival at Wiston," he said. "There have certainly been strong gusts of wind during the course of this afternoon locally."
Det Ch Supt Richard McDonagh of Sussex Police said the force was working to establish exactly what happened. He acknowledged the scale of the crowd and the impact the incident would have had on those present. "We know there were thousands of people at the festival and we're urging anyone with any information, or any relevant video footage, to please come forward. You can report it online or call 101, quoting Operation Igloo."
The Health and Safety Executive and local authorities were also notified. Festival organizers said their immediate focus was on the wellbeing of those affected and helping attendees leave the site safely. Day visitors were told to leave immediately. Campers were directed to return to their campsites and await further updates, though they were also permitted to leave if they chose.
Sussex Police warned of traffic disruption in the surrounding area and urged the public to avoid the roads near the festival site. The Big Church Festival was founded in 2009 and has grown into one of the most attended Christian events in the United Kingdom.
