Festival goer’s narrow escape from killer storm

Desmond Mahon, aged 19, from the Culmore Road area of the city was one of a number of Londonderry revellers enjoying the festival in Hasselt, Belgium, when galeforce winds, torrential rain and hail struck at around 6pm in the afternoon.

He was watching a performance at the festival’s main stage in 30 degree sunshine on the first day of the three day festival when - as Desmond explains - the skies suddenly darkened and “all hell broke loose.”

“We were at the main stage watching Skunk Anansie and it started raining really heavily,” said Desmond. “It got even heavier and then it began to hail as well and huge hail stones started hitting people on the head and people were screaming.”

“She (lead singer of the group. Skin) eventually left the stage and then all hell broke loose. People started running back stage and behind equipment and radio lorries for shelter.”

Whilst Desmond sheltered with thousands of others stages, screens, tents and trees collapsed throughout the festival site during an apocalyptic 20 minute period. Ultimately, five people lost their lives whilst hundreds were injured.

When Desmond emerged from behind his radio lorry refuge he encountered a scene of utter devastation. Such was the ferocity of the hail storm it had punched large bullet-like holes in the drum kit on the main stage.

A section of stage rigging had collapsed on top of one of the lorries behind which dozens had been sheltering. Large trees had been uprooted both at the main festival area and the festival camp site.

“Seriously, 500 or 600 people could have died. A whole stage collapsed. The Pukkelpop sign had fallen down with the wind to block the path out,” said Desmond.

Realising, the gravity of the situation Desmond returned to the camping area to check on his tent and belongings only to find further chaos.

“Our tent was at the back of the camp site in a section in the middle where two trees had collapsed on either side of us,” he recalled. “One of the trees had crushed about 30 tents.” Desmond said he was not sure whether anyone had been in the tents at the time.

Discovering much of their tent and belongings waterlogged there followed a stressful number of hours which found Desmond and his friend eventually housed in a Red Cross shelter in a music centre.

Thankfully Desmond had the foresight to phone home and reassure his parents he was alright before news of the disaster began to filter through on the newswires. It was nearing midnight on Thursday when he found himself on a bus amidst stunned festival goers bound for a music arena which had been transformed into a makeshift refuge shelter.

“We got on the bus and everyone was completely silent,” he said. “We ended up at a big music arena and it took a long time to get there. The Red Cross was there and they brought in a delivery of field hospital beds, sandwiches, tea and coffee and waffles,” he explained.

After a few hours the refugees’ spirits were lifted somewhat when Hollywood star and 30 Seconds From Mars frontman Jared Leto dropped in to offer his sympathy.

“Jared Leto turned up and said he was sorry to see what had happened,” said Desmond. “We were amongst the few English speakers there and he was talking to us for a good while.”

He added. “He was talking about how bad the storm was and we told him we had seen him come out to inspect the stage. “He said he was checking to see if he could play an acoustic set but that wasn’t even impossible. And when he heard people had died he said there was no way he would have played as a mark of respect.”

Eventually, the Belgian authorities put Desmond and a host of other Pukkelpop refugees in a Centre Parcs resort for the weekend. He flew home on Monday.