(CelebrityAccess) — Joana Sainz Garcia, a rising Spanish pop star, was killed in an onstage pyrotechnics accident on the final day of the four-day Las Berlanas music festival.
According to Spanish newspaper, El Diario Montañés García was on stage performing with the Super Hollywood Orchestra when she was struck by a cartridge from what was reported to be a malfunctioning element of the show’s pyrotechnic display.
Sainz Garcia was knocked unconscious in the accident and the performance in front of a crowd of about 1,000 people ended immediately. Members of Super Hollywood Orchestra as well as several medical personnel believed to be from the audience attempted to provide aid before she was transported to an area hospital where she died.
A statement (in Spanish) subsequently posted by the festival’s organizer via social media said: “From the direction of the company Prones 1SL agency that represents the Super Hollywood Orchestra and all our staff, musicians, assembly and artists in general, [we] express our most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends for the loss of our colleague Joana,” Prones 1SL said.
“She always showed exemplary behavior, both personally and artistically, in addition to great human quality. It will be very difficult for all of us to overcome her absence,” the statement added.
Prones 1SL’s owner, Isidro López told El Diario Montañés that the group has used pyrotechnic displays in more than 2,000 previous performances without incident.
López added that Spanish law enforcement is currently investigating the León-based pyrotechnics company which manufactured the effects, as well as the Catalan-based supplier.
In a separate statement, the town government that sponsored the festival wrote: “From the Municipal Corporation of Las Berlanas and as representatives of the whole town, we want to extend our condolences to the relatives of Joanna, the girl from the Super Hollywood group who died yesterday in our town, as well as to all her groupmates.”
