Morbid Angel's concert in Illinois faced a tragedy after an incident left one person dead and at least 28 others injured.
Morbid Angel was set to perform during its highly-anticipated show at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, Illinois, Friday. The venue has been hosting several shows and events since it first opened in 1921.
The band was set to perform at 9:40 p.m. after the performances of Crypta, Skeletal Remains, and Revocation. However, the venue's roof unexpectedly collapsed shortly before the metal band's performance.
Morbid Angel Concert Venue's Roof Collapses
CBS Chicago confirmed the development in a report, saying that the collapse inside Apollo Theater occurred about 30 minutes into the concert. The news outlet said the first call "call came in as a mass-casualty collapse."
Videos online show more than 20 ambulances arriving at the scene to aid the injured concertgoers. Per the Belvidere Police Department, at least 260 people were present in the venue when its roof collapsed amid the heavy storm in the area.
The National Weather Service informed the authorities about the tornado warning. However, the collapse immediately happened 10 minutes after detecting the warning, Belvidere Fire Department chief Shawn Schadle said.
Belvidere police chief Shane Woody told the press that the scene was absolute chaos when the police arrived.
"When officers are first on the scene when the fire department and first responders get here, they do the best they can to control the chaos as much as possible," he said. "But ultimately, we go in, and ultimately try and find people, and save as many people as we possibly can - and bring them to safety as best as we can."
One person died after the roof collapsed on everybody; 28 others were injured, five of them sustained severe injuries.
A concertgoer told Rockford Scanner that the event was "horrible" despite being able to escape from the scene without a scratch.
Morbid Angel Cancels Show
Following the incident, Morbid Angel took to Facebook to announce the postponement of its appearance due to a tornado that hit the Apollo Theater. It also reminded everyone to seek shelter and stay safe.
Guitarist Trey Azagthoth's mother, Jannell Emmanuel, revealed that the members of the four metal bands were safe. A large oak tree also almost hit the tour bus.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has since released a statement saying that the officials are monitoring the collapsed parts of the Apollo Theater.
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