19 hurt, 9 taken to hospital after barricade gives way at Olympic concert

19 hurt as barricade collapses at Olympic concert

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A surging crowd of Olympic partygoers caused a barricade to collapse during a free concert, leaving 19 people injured.

Nine people were taken to the hospital for further evaluation, Vancouver officials and Olympic organizers said. One person may have a broken leg. The city said all those injured were treated at the scene in the onsite medical facility.

About 7,000 people were at LiveCity Yaletown on Tuesday night for a concert by the Canadian band Alexisonfire. A section of the barricade gave way midway into the first song, according to a statement from the City of Vancouver.

The band stopped playing immediately and asked fans to step back. The rest of the concert at was called off.

“Everyone acted quickly, professionally, and took appropriate action,” City Manager Penny Ballem said. “The security and onsite emergency medical response teams provided immediate assistance and care, the band kept people calm and the crowd dispersed safely.”

Live Nation, the concert producer, has used similar barricades at concerts for more than 20 years and this was the first time such a thing happened, the city said.

The city said the barricade will be replaced and the site would reopen Wednesday.