A 20-year-old woman was killed and at least 35 others injured when a soccer stadium's balcony railing gave way on Sunday in Colombia's Caribbean city of Barranquilla, authorities said.
Fans, some suffering serious head injuries, plummeted awkwardly onto a concrete stadium floor at least 12 feet below after crowding a metal balcony in a post-game celebration. The aluminum railing broke under the pressure.
"It wasn't that high. But it was a sharp fall and many fell badly. Since there weren't many people below ... they hit the concrete," said Jose Estrada, director of rescue operations for the Red Cross in Barranquilla.
Television images showed one fan falling on his neck onto the stadium steps, another being taken away in a stretcher. Estrada said 16 of the victims had sustained serious injuries.
Witnesses said that the winning Colombian team, Junior, had approached a section of the stadium packed with loyal fans after scoring a 1-0 victory in a semifinals match against team Tulua. Junior supporters on the second level pushed lower to catch a closer look at the players and the railing gave way.
"They [junior players] came over, taking their jerseys off, to celebrate the victory with the fans. The fans approached the balconies, and then that's when it happened," said Manuel Ortega, sports writer at Barranquilla newspaper El Heraldo, who was covering the match.
The stadium is the same one where Colombia's national team squared off -- and lost 2-1 -- against Brazil in September.
