Giant screen hits dancers for boy band Mirror during Hong Kong concert
By Tara Subramaniam, Kathleen Magramo and Lauren Lau, CNN
A back-up dancer for the Cantopop boy band Mirror is in intensive care after being hit by a giant video panel that fell from the ceiling during a concert in Hong Kong.
Five people were injured when the panel — measuring about four square meters — fell onto the stage during the show at the Hong Kong Coliseum near Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong police told CNN.
None of the band’s 12 members were injured, police said. Three people were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment, including the seriously injured dancer and a second performer described as being in a stable condition, according to the hospital.
Video of the moment the screen crashed onto the dancers went viral on social media, and local charities have set up hotlines for any of the 10,000 people who attended the concert and are traumatized by what they saw.
The remaining eight shows in the group’s Hong Kong concert series have since been canceled and Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee has called for an investigation.
“I have contacted the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, and instructed the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, together with relevant departments, to comprehensively investigate the incident and review the safety requirements of similar performance activities in order to protect the safety of performers, working staff and members of the public,” Lee said.
Kevin Yeung, Hong Kong’s culture secretary, said Friday that the panel had fallen because one of the cables holding it was loose.
“From initial observation, a wire fractured and led to the fall of the screen and caused the dancers to be injured,” Yeung told reporters Friday. Hong Kong’s Labour Department Secretary Chris Sun said Friday he will not rule out legal action against those responsible.
In a statement on Facebook, the organizer of the concert, Makerville, apologized for causing “unease to viewers or others affected” and said that people who attended Thursday’s concert would be eligible for a refund.
The incident occurred even after fans at three earlier shows warned that the stage and set seemed unstable, creating a petition asking for the concert organizers to ensure performers’ safety.
The hugely popular band formed in 2018 and released their latest single “We Are” a week ago.
The-CNN-Wire
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