A violent storm that lashed an outdoor rock music festival in northern Belgium killed at least five people after uprooting trees and collapsing two stages,local officials said. Tens of thousands of people were attending the outdoor Pukkelpop festival when the storm broke on Thursday,toppling one stage on concert-goers at the annual event held in Kiewit near the town of Hasselt. The storm hit Thursday afternoon on the Pukkelpop festival,held near the town of Hasselt,and killed at least five people, Hasselt mayor Hilde Claes told local radio amid reports that more than 40 people were also injured,several seriously. Up to 65,000 people,mainly youths,were thought to have been present at the festival when the storm hit,blowing down giant screens and uprooting trees,the Belga news agency reported. The sky suddenly turned pitch black and we took shelter waiting for the rain. Then suddenly,there was a downpour. The wind blew violently, said festival-goer Catherine Blaise,according to Le Soir newspaper. There were hailstones bigger than a centimeter falling. Trees toppled over. It was unbelievable,the end of the world, she said. Many of the concert-goers were under a big tent,sheltered from the rains and listening to the group Smith Westerns,when it collapsed,according to the RTBF public television website.
