Madonna concert set collapses killing British man

By Carla Bevan on Friday 17 July 2009

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Madonna - Celebrity News - Marie Claire

Madonna today issued a heartfelt statement after two men were killed and a number of other individuals injured as they attempted to construct the stage set for her Marseille concert this weekend.

The sell-out gig, due to take place on Sunday, was immediately cancelled.

'I am devastated to have just received this tragic news. My prayers go out to those who were injured and their families along with my deepest sympathy to all those affected by this heartbreaking news,' Madonna, currently staying in Italy, said in a statement issued by her publicist.

According to official sources, the stage at the 60,000-seater Stade Velodrome sports stadium - home to the Olympique de Marseille football team - in Marseille, France, collapsed while around 50 workers were attempting to construct the elaborate set used in Madonna's Sticky and Sweet tour.

Witnesses, meanwhile, claim the accident happened as the roof for the concert was being lifted into place by four cranes. As the roof became unbalanced, one of the cranes topped over, crashing into the stage below, causing it to collapse.

'There were a lot of open fractures and injuries. It was a messy sight,' one of the many rescue workers called in to attend to the scene told reporters.

One 53-year-old man died at the scene, with another British individual succuming to his injuries later, while in the neurosurgery unit at Marseille's La Timone hospital. Two other men remain in critical condition.