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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Crowd surge at lights switch-on | Crowd surge at lights switch-on |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| At least seven people have been injured during a crowd surge at Birmingham's Christmas lights switch-on. | |
| Up to 5,000 people had been expected to turn out for the event at Millennium Point, which had been due to feature acts including JLS and the Sugababes. | Up to 5,000 people had been expected to turn out for the event at Millennium Point, which had been due to feature acts including JLS and the Sugababes. |
| A city council spokesperson said more people than expected had turned out and they had feared for crowd safety. | A city council spokesperson said more people than expected had turned out and they had feared for crowd safety. |
| Reports suggested up to 27,000 people were at the site by the time band JLS started to perform. | Reports suggested up to 27,000 people were at the site by the time band JLS started to perform. |
| The council said a combination of fears over the number of people, bad weather and concerns about safety fencing led them to cancel the event. | |
| 'Absolute chaos' | |
| Martin Krol, who lives in a flat overlooking Millennium Point, said he saw people pushing at a fence at the front of the crowd. | |
| He said: "Police had already stopped people from going through into the main bit because there were so many of them, so an extra line of people had been created at the back of the main crowd. | |
| One person was carried out on a spinal board - and we saw a police officer injured too Martin Krol, eyewitness | |
| "JLS must have only been on stage for literally a minute when the crowd surged forward and everything had to stop. | |
| "The police were totally outnumbered - there were far too many people in the crowd for them to be able to cope. | |
| "It was absolute chaos - the ambulances couldn't get through - and it took quite a while for them to be able to clear the area because there were so many people. | |
| "We saw people who had been knocked unconscious and carried out into ambulances. One person was carried out on a spinal board - and we saw a police officer injured too." | |
| A spokeswoman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said paramedics were presently treating seven injured people and were expected to be at the site "for some time". | A spokeswoman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said paramedics were presently treating seven injured people and were expected to be at the site "for some time". |
| The area around Millennium Point has now been cleared and emergency crews were urging people to stay away from the area. | The area around Millennium Point has now been cleared and emergency crews were urging people to stay away from the area. |
| Other acts that had been scheduled to appear as part of the five-hour event included Calvin Harris, Tinchy Stryder, Natalie Imbruglia, Chipmunk, Girls Can't Catch, Little Boots, The Saturdays, Alexandra Burke, The Noisettes, Taio Cruz and Pixie Lott. | Other acts that had been scheduled to appear as part of the five-hour event included Calvin Harris, Tinchy Stryder, Natalie Imbruglia, Chipmunk, Girls Can't Catch, Little Boots, The Saturdays, Alexandra Burke, The Noisettes, Taio Cruz and Pixie Lott. |
| The night was due to finish with a fireworks display. | The night was due to finish with a fireworks display. |