Music fans at We Are FSTVL collapse in east London heat

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/26/we-are-fstvl-east-london-crowds-collapse-heat

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Crowds pushed through security gates at a London festival after some festivalgoers collapsed in the heat as they queued to get in, according to reports.

Witnesses said a lack of wristbands saw people queuing for up to three hours in hot temperatures at We Are FSTVL in Upminster, east London, on Saturday.

Others were reportedly trampled as crowds surged past staff into the event, the BBC said.

One woman, 20, who did not wish to be named, said: “They’d run out of wristbands at the door so they didn’t have drink token wristbands when they were letting people through.

“They weren’t handing out water so everyone in the queue for three hours didn’t have a drink,” she told BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat.

She said she saw people vomiting in a fenced-off area. “A barrier got thrown into the crowds, the woman next to me got hit by it and it sliced a massive chunk out of her leg. She’s passed out on the floor, security ran over to her and people were just charging through.

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‘They took out the barriers, pushed through security, punching security, just taking everyone out in their way.”

Another festivalgoer, Renardo Henry, 21, said he saw people passing out in the heat. “We were in the queue, four people had collapsed around us, people were throwing up and shouting for medics, all the staff were doing was throwing water bottles into the crowd of people,” he told the BBC.

There was a crush at the festival entrance, he said. “Everyone at the back of us was just pushing towards us. I turned around to see my friends getting crushed by other people. People were coming out of there crawling and crying because they’d been trampled on. It was ridiculous and all the security was doing was trying to push people back,” he claimed.

Others posted their concerns on Twitter.

#WEAREFSTVL queuing on saturday, moments before people pushed through security... Water bottles being thrown into crowd, hitting people on their heads.. Wtf.. pic.twitter.com/uhTtF3aSYX

#WeAreFestival @wearefstvl my friend filmed this, i was trapped inside the tent while all this was going on clinging to a pole so I didn’t get trampled on, after three hours of queuing and the blaring sun it wasn’t ideal.... pic.twitter.com/yoYZyTgJUN

Don’t know what my fave part of @wearefstvl was, the 3 and a half hour queue with no water in 20+ degree heat or watching people getting fully hit with railings while the security did nothing. over all shit day should have just gone to @LSTDBristol #boycottWeAreFSTVL #WeAreFSTVL

In a statement, the festival organisers said: “Due to unforeseen technical difficulties at the wristband exchange, customers had experienced longer waiting times and for that we apologise. Security were able to overcome these issues and barriers were quickly reinstated.

“Five customers sustained minor injuries and all were treated on site before rejoining the festival.

“The situation was quickly resolved and measures including providing additional queueing lanes and dedicated water distributors have been taken to change the process on site today for the benefit of all festivalgoers.

“Our sincere apologies for anyone that was affected by the issue at the gate. Our event planning is done in accordance to the highest standards, working with the Met police, London ambulance service and London Borough of Havering and the London fire brigade. We take the security of our audience very seriously, and constantly review our processes to ensure a safe festival environment.”