sugarland

Four Dead in Indiana State Fair Stage Collapse at Sugarland Gig
It's a heartland heartbreaker for Sugarland fans at an Indiana State Fair concert.

Severe weather left four dead when high winds blew concert scaffolding onto the front rows, as the country band waited to take the stage. Dozens were reportedly injured according to reports, and an eyewitness who works for WANE-TV in Fort Wayne, Ind., described the harrowing scene pictured in the video above:

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"The wind just picked up and the stage just caught and the roof just caught and it went up like a sail and then it crashed forward into the people standing in the front. There were people trapped underneath and everyone was running and screaming," said Kirby Ehler of local NewsChannel 15. "They were asking any medics or nurses not to leave."

The National Weather Service had issued a hazardous weather alert for central Indiana, warning of heavy rain and thunderstorms. The alert stated, "thunderstorms may be severe with damaging winds and large hail as the main threats." Adding, "the storms will also produce dangerous lightning and brief heavy rainfall."

Reportedly wind gusts of 60 to 70 miles per hour struck the area causing the collapse as thousands of fans waited for the headliners to take the stage.

According to the Indianapolis Department of Public Safety, at least 40 people have been transported to area hospitals. Those concerned for family and friends are urged to check redcross.org for a list of those injured.

BREAKING NEWS...indiana state fair stage collapse, indiana, indiana state fair 2011, indianapolis  more details as they become available.

Four Dead After Stage Collapses At Sugarland Show in Indiana
Four people are dead and reportedly 24 more injured after a stage collapsed tonight at the Indiana State Fair before the country band Sugarland was to perform.

High winds were believed to have been the cause.

A reporter for WANE-TV in Indiana was in the crowd at the time and described what happened like this: "The wind just picked up and the stage just caught and the roof just caught and it went up like a sail and then it crashed forward into the people standing in the front. There were people trapped underneath and everyone was running and screaming. They were asking any medics or nurses not to leave."