A second person has died following the collapse of a stage being set up for a Madonna concert in France.
According to BBC News, 23-year-old British citizen Charles Prow died overnight on Thursday of his injuries at a hospital in Marseille, France.
Prow was part of the crew building the stage for Sunday's Madonna show at the 60,000-seat Velodrome in the southern French city. His passing followed the on-site death of 53-year-old Frenchman Charles Criscenzo, who was killed during a crane collapse on Thursday afternoon.
Technicians were setting up the stage at the stadium when the partially built roof fell in, bringing down a crane on the structure. The singer, who has been on the road for a year with the elaborately staged Sticky and Sweet road show, was in Udine, Italy, when told of the accident and issued a statement soon after expressing her condolences.
"I am devastated to have just received this tragic news," she said in a statement released by concert promoter Live Nation. "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." Sunday's show has been canceled in the wake of the accident.
Eight other people were seriously injured, including an unidentified American, who was hospitalized in life-threatening condition, the BBC reported. More than 30 people who were working on the stage suffered minor injuries and shock.
Fire officials said the accident took place when the roof of the stage became unbalanced as it was being lifted into place by four cranes, causing one of the cranes to topple over. Prior to the collapse, Marseille city councillor Maurice Di Nocera said the roof started "shaking and collapsing," but because it did not collapse right away, several of the 50 workers on site were able to escape to safety. The Stade Velodrome is France's second-biggest sports arena. It has not yet been announced whether the stage collapse will impact the singer's next scheduled show in Barcelona on Tuesday. Officials have launched an investiga
tion into the cause of the collapse.
