A Spanish pop singer has died after she was struck by an exploding pyrotechnic during a live performance.
30-year-old Joana Sainz Garcia had been performing with the Super Hollywood Orchestra group during a festival in Las Berlanas, a small town close to Madrid. Around 1,000 spectators had been present at the performance when the tragedy occurred.
The pyrotechnic device exploded close to Joana, at approximately 02:00 local time (00:00 GMT) on Sunday, September 1, knocking her unconscious. Paramedics took Joana to hospital, where she was confirmed dead.
Footage which has since been circulated on social media shows the devastating moment of the explosion. One fan who shared the video on Facebook captioned it, ‘A night that started partying and ended up in a terrible tragedy’.
The promoter for the Super Hollywood Orchestra group, Prones 1SL, has since informed El Norte de Castilla the explosion appeared to be on account of a manufacturing failure.
Isidro Lopez, owner of Prones 1SL, explained pyrotechnics had been used during previous performances ‘more than 2000’ times without incident. ‘Small cartridges’ were reportedly released during the show, comparable to ‘a sparkler’. According to Prones 1SL, ‘one went normal and the other exploded’.
In a Facebook statement, Prones 1SL commended Joana’s ‘exemplary behaviour both personally and artistically’:
The whole Prones family, partners, artists, friends, collaborators are very sad and dismayed by the loss of our companion and friend Joana Sainz.
As reported by El Diario Montanes, Joana, of Santander, had been the main dancer and choreographer for the Super Hollywood Orchestra; a group which consisted of singers, musicians and dancers.
The 15-member group had reportedly been hired for the final performance of the four-day festival in Las Berlanas.
In a statement, president of The Provincial Council of Ávila, Carlos García González, expressed his ‘deepest regret’ over Joana’s death:
Unfortunately, the name of Joana Sáinz will be forever linked to that of Las Berlanas not for her good work on stage, but for the fatality of the incident that has ended her life.
The Provincial Council have reportedly encouraged police officers and judicial authorities to get full clarity in regards to the circumstances which led to Joana’s death, to ensure such a tragedy will ‘not be repeated’.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Joana Sainz Garcia at this difficult time.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.