Stand collapses during Trooping the Colour
THREE people were taken to hospital when a section of the stands for spectators watching Trooping the Colour collapsed yesterday.
One woman is understood to have been injured after falling through the stands, with others around her evacuated by emergency services.
Dozens of people had turned up on Horse Guards Parade to watch soldiers from the Household Division and The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery take part in rehearsals for the ceremony.
But proceedings were suddenly interrupted when a part of the stand collapsed, prompting the evacuation of dozens of people. Zoë Clark-Coates, TV presenter and author, who was in the crowd, wrote on Twitter: “What we just witnessed was terrifying, but we are safe. Part of the floor in the stand collapsed, and at least one person fell through.” Another witness described the situation as “chaos”.
One person reported the stand collapsing when spectators stood for the national anthem.
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said two spectators were taken to a major trauma centre as a matter of “priority” and a third treated in hospital.
The event will take place on June 2 for the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations.