Illinois Tornado Destroys Apollo Theatre: 1 Dead, 40+ Hospitalized After Roof Collapse [UPDATE]

The Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, Illinois, one of the most historical places in the state, was destroyed by a suspected Illinois tornado last Friday, Mar. 31, 2023, leaving one dead and dozens injured.

At the time, only 28 people were reported injured after the Apollo Theatre's roof collapsed because of the Illinois tornado; now - the injured toll has risen to 40.

Illinois Tornado Destroys Apollo Theatre

According to ABC News Go, more than 40 people were injured in the catastrophic incident at Apollo Theatre, claiming the life of one concertgoer, Fred Livingston Jr., who was a fan watching the concert at the time. During the collapse, there was a heavy metal concert - with Morbid Angel playing.

30-minutes into the concert, the suspected Illinois tornado occurred, and a "mass-casualty" call was reported into the area.

Two people with life-threatening injured were rushed to the nearest ambulance, while 18 sustained moderate injuries, and five were minor only. The other victims' injury classification has not been reported.

According to WGN9, two victims are now in critical care as the overall number of victims who were rushed to the hospital has already reached more than 40.

"Luckily due to the response and all the first responders and the bystanders helping assist everybody out, I believe the conditions could have been much worse," Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle said in a statement. "We are very fortunate in certain situations. It is still a tragedy."

Apparently, there were around 260 people inside the building when the Apollo Theatre roof collapsed because of the Illinois tornado.

It was revealed that a "concerted effort" by concertgoers and bystanders helped minimize the further damage to victims and injured in the rubble.

Concertgoers apparently received emergency alerts from the venue alerting them about a tornado, but concertgoers "chuckled" the alert away, saying that they receive plenty of alerts like that most of the time, but were always uneventful.

"It just was pitch-black for a second, a big giant boom and you just smell the dust and everything in the air," a concertgoer recalled. "Everyone started screaming, 'Help! Help! Help!'"

Apollo Theatre Dead Victim GoFundMe Link

A Go Fund Me fundraising link was posted on social media shortly after the incident took place at the Apollo Theatre roof collapse. It has already amassed more than 30,000 dollars since it was made launched.

It was a campaign for Fred Livingston Jr., the man who passed away during the collapse. It is to support his family with funeral expenses in the wake of the tragic and catastrophic incident.