Belgian music festival called off after storms kill 5, injure 140

The Belgian outdoor music festival of Pukkelpop was called off Friday as organizers said it was impossible to continue after five people died as a result of thunderstorms the previous day, dpa reported.

"Pukkelpop is in deep mourning," said a statement on the festival website. "We have struggled with the decision to continue the festival. Therefore we have decided to cancel Pukkelpop 2011."

Two festival-goers died at the concert grounds near Hasselt, 80 kilometres east of Brussels in Dutch-speaking Flanders. One tent sheltering a stage collapsed, two others were blown away and trees were uprooted after storms on Thursday afternoon.

Another person was killed at the camping site, while two people died in hospital overnight, Belgian media reported.

"The storm surprised us all. Such a storm is unprecedented here," organizer Chokri Mahassine told reporters on Friday.

Between 60,000-65,000 people were attending the 31st edition of the four-day festival, which was to close Sunday, with a lineup that included international stars such as the Foo Fighters, Eminem and Offspring.

British musician and producer Mark Ronson said he was under the tent that collapsed.

"The roof ripped off, the structural poles and lighting rig came crashing down and people started screaming and running, literally, for their lives," he said.

"Once you made it out the tent, you were pelted by hailstones the size of tennis balls. And we were the lucky ones," Ronson recounted on the Tumblr microblog.

All the victims were Belgian, Hasselt Mayor Hilde Claes was quoted by Flemish broadcaster VRT as saying. Their names and ages were not disclosed.

Ten people remained seriously ill, with three stated to be in critical condition. An estimated 140 people were being treated for less serious injuries, Claes said. Six Dutch nationals are among the injured.

The mayor, who was at the festival, said it was "the darkest night" in the history of the event, which started in 1985, and indicated that the authorities needed to take a decision on whether to allow it to take place again.

Acting prime minister Yves Leterme - who is filling the power vacuum since politicians have been unable to agree on a new governing coalition since elections in June 2010 - said it was "much too early to draw conclusions" about what happened.

King Albert II and Queen Paola cut short their vacation in Italy and were expected to visit the injured later Friday, the Belga news agency reported. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso sent a condolence message to Leterme.

Two musicians died at Pukkelpop last year. Michael Been, singer and guitarist of The Call, suffered a heart attack while acting as a musician for another US band, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

A day later, Charles Haddon, singer of British band Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, jumped to his death from a mobile phone mast after reportedly believing he had injured a fan during a botched crowd-surfing attempt.