Revellers have been injured in a horrifying crush at a London music festival, leaving them screaming for help and in tears as they were trampled and stamped on.
Fans were treated by paramedics after a group of apparently ticketless fans rushed into the entrance to the Originals Festival, part of the open-air South Facing Festival.
The event at Crystal Palace Bowl in South London had to close early amid the melee on Sunday with police forced to cordon off sections of the park to help people leave.
One mother who was attending her first festival revealed she was left traumatised by the ordeal after becoming trapped under the surging crowd for several minutes.
The fan told how members of the group who rushed into the entrance stamped on her face and chest – leaving her desperately gasping for air, reported The Standard.
She tearfully said on social media: ‘I got crushed, physically crushed, physically stamped on. It was not just me. I went with my sister and her two friends.
‘My sister’s friend got crushed and trampled on to the point where she got her ribs stepped on. I felt people’s feet stepping and jumping, and running all over my body.
‘I was screaming for help. People were clambering and dropping all over me. There were like hundreds of people rushing through at one time and I [was] getting crushed by every single person. Someone could have crushed my ribs.
A map of the The Originals Festival site in South London, with the entry point marked in orange
‘Anything could have happened to me and I was just thinking ‘who is going to look after my son? I have got to get back to my son’.’
One video posted on TikTok by @evadigitaldiva showed fans jumping over a fence while security guards tried to stop them as others rushed through behind them.
The woman, Eva, said it was ‘chaos’ and a ‘disaster’ with security guards pushed over, railings knocked down and people getting ‘crushed and trampled’ while trying to enter.
A second video posted on TikTok by @baeskeenie showed the moment the crowd surged through the barrier as security guards were unable to stop the rush.
The clip also showed a digital screen with the sign: ‘Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are closing the arena early today. Please exit the event safely.’
The user wrote: ‘Originals got formed and locked off. I want my money back.’
A third TikTok clip by @theonendonlytee showed men trying to jump the barriers, with the caption: ‘Imagine rushing the gates to get in and get locked off to leave.’
On X, Felicia Odamtten wrote: ‘I’m so, so disappointed at what happened at The Originals Festival. Sure the people rushing were in the wrong, but there’s a science to crowd management and from what I saw that was not adhered to at all.
‘Lack of security staff, barriers etc – it didn’t make sense. Given the fact that people last year also experienced a rush at the gates, they should’ve beefed up the security and crowd management for this year.
‘That was a warning sign. We were all robbed of a good time and so many are to blame. My heart goes out to everyone who was trampled on in the stampede.’
Another X user, @lambrinimami, wrote: ‘I’m gonna add my lil two pence in on the cancellation of Originals Festival and say has no one learnt from the Asake incident at Brixton? Innocent people died from the exact same stupidity that was displayed today.’
This was a reference to how security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, and mother-of-two Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, were killed when fans without tickets tried to force their way into a show at the O2 Brixton Academy by Nigerian artist Asake on December 15, 2022.
A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman told the Mail: ‘On Sunday, 17 August, Met Police officers assisted the organisers of an event in Crystal Palace Park.
Gaby Hutchinson (left), 23, and Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, were killed when fans without tickets tried to force their way into a show at the O2 Brixton Academy by Asake on December 15, 2022
The scene outside the O2 Brixton Academy after two people were killed in a crush in 2022
‘Cordons were put in place to ensure the safety of those leaving the area. No arrests were made.’
An Oxfordshire-based private medical company, Emergency Medical & Fire Solutions (EMFS) Group, provided paramedics and emergency medical care for the event.
The Daily Mail understands at least two people were treated for injuries by paramedics, and has contacted the company for further comment.
The Originals Festival, which was for over-21s only, opened its gates at 2pm with last entry at 7pm and the final headline acts due to have taken to the stage from 9pm.
Rumours also circulated on social media that the festival was shut down early because of a stabbing, but the Mail understands police received no such reports.
South Facing Festival is a series of events running from August 7 to 24 at the Crystal Palace Bowl, including gigs by Busta Rhymes, Mogwai and Morcheeba which have already taken place.
The final concerts in the series are set to take place between this Friday and Sunday with Basement Jaxx and Nile Rodgers & Chic among the performers.
The Daily Mail has contacted the festival organisers for comment.
Separately on Sunday, the SandZ Caribbean music festival, also in South London, descended into chaos when people threw bottles and stormed the stage
Separately on Sunday, another music festival also in South London descended into chaos when people threw bottles and stormed the stage after security appeared to lose control of the crowd.
Thousands had descended on Addingdon Park in Croydon over the weekend for the SandZ Caribbean music festival, which had promised two days of ‘non-stop vibes’.
Footage shared on social media showed the moment the event spiralled out of control – with attendees now demanding refunds after splashing out hundreds of pounds on tickets.
Crowds were left in an awkward silence after Vanessa Bling’s microphone was repeatedly shut off, eventually causing her to throw it away and leave the stage entirely.
The event finished half an hour early at 9.30pm – while a lack of proper lighting saw attendees scrambling to use their phone torches in order to find their way out.
