A 30-year-old pop singer has died after a firework stunt went wrong and killed her on stage in Avila, a province of Spain.
Joana Sainz, part of a 15-member group called the Super Hollywood Orchestra, was performing at a festival in Las Berlanas, a village 75 miles northwest of Spain’s capital, Madrid, reported El Norte de Castilla, a local news outlet.
Sainz was performing on stage until a firework hit her in the abdomen, leaving her with severe injuries, the Daily Mail reported.
According to El Norte de Castilla, she was rushed to a hospital 15 miles away and pronounced dead after arrival.
Warning: Footage may be upsetting to some viewers
A recording of the tragic moment was uploaded to Youtube.
The video shows at least eight members of the group on stage with bright lights.
As the music builds up to a climax, two firework devices at both ends of the stage are activated and the device on the right side seemingly explodes or malfunctions.
Although the music continued playing, the performance stopped and some members can be seen walking to the right side of the stage.
A doctor and four nurses who were in the audience went on stage to help, the New York Post reported.
El Norte de Castilla reported that the firework devices were little cartridges that worked like a sparkler when released—one was working normally and the other one exploded.
A promoter said the incident could be due to a manufacturing failure. It’s possible that the manufacturer put the wrong material inside the cartridge, causing the metal casing to explode.
The City of Las Berlanas sent their condolences out on Facebook.
“From the Municipal Corporation of Las Berlanas and as representatives of the whole town, we want to extend our condolences to the relatives of Joana, the girl from the Super Hollywood group who died yesterday in our town, as well as to all her group mates. We also want to thank … all visitors for their good behavior in those difficult times. R.I.P. Joana Sainz. You are in our memory.”
The Association of Civil Protection Volunteers of the City of Ávila wrote on Twitter about the incident.
“Before the accident happened last night in #LasBerlanas with a pyrotechnic device, please do not disseminate false information or images, always following official information. Respect family, friends, and colleagues in these hard times.”
Ante el accidente ocurrido la pasada noche en #LasBerlanas con un artefacto pirotécnico rogamos no se difunda información falsa ni imágenes siguiendo siempre la información oficial
Respeta a la familia, amigos y compañeros en estos duros momentos#STOPBulos— ProtecciónCivilÁvila (@ProteCivilAvila) September 1, 2019
