Christopher BarrettAudience members were evacuated, and three spectators taken to hospital after a stand reportedly collapsed during a Trooping The Colour rehearsal on Saturday, 21 May.
According to reports, part of the stand collapsed and at least one person fell through a large gap in the structure. The incident took place on Horse Guards Road at 11am, and led to two people being treated at the scene by paramedics.
The Trooping The Colour rehearsal was being reviewed by The Major General ahead of the full event on 2 June as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The parade, which is understood to have involved around 1400 soldiers and 400 musicians, was cut short following the incident.
Two parts of the viewing stand “gave way”, according to an Army spokesperson, and an investigation is taking place to determine the cause of the incident.
Speaking to Sky News a witness described what happened when the structure failed: “When the royal carriage arrived during the rehearsal, everybody in the stands stood up. But almost immediately that part of the stand fell through and a woman fell down.
“To make matters worse, another woman was left dangling over the gap in the stands and was gripping onto the seat to avoid falling through as well.”
The Army issued a statement that said, “Safety is our number-one priority and we are urgently working with our partners and relevant organisations to understand what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”