Kiwis caught up in fatal music festival panic

An Auckland woman says there was panic when a storm hit a Belgium music festival killing three people and injuring more than 70.

Ambulances and police cars raced to and from the site of the Pukkelpop festival, near the town of Hasselt, 80km east of Brussels, late Thursday, their sirens blaring.

Concertgoers described scenes of panic as the sky darkened, the winds whipped, rain poured, hailstones larger than 1cm across pelted the crowds, and concert structures buckled.

"It was frightening. It looked terrible. All the structures collapsed," said Brinnie Gardner, 20, of Auckland, who is on a tour of Europe with a friend.

"There was panic. It was crazy."

Hugo Simons, Hasselt's head of emergency medical planning, told VRT radio three people died, 11 had been severely injured and 60 had light injuries.

Organisers estimated 60,000 people were at the three-day festival, when the storm broke. Many were streaming out of the grounds after the storm, which turned the festival site into a scene of mud and destruction within about 10 minutes.

Video from the site showed stage equipment dangling in high winds as rain-soaked concertgoers ran for cover. Trees and branches were downed, evidence of the sudden ferocity of the wind.

Ambulances ferried the seriously injured to nearby hospitals. Some of those lightly injured were treated at a local sports complex. More than 20 ambulances were sent to the festival.

Festival organiser Chokri Mahassine said it was on hold.

The festival featured internationally known acts, such as Foo Fighters, Eminem and The Offspring as well New Zealand band The Naked and Famous.

"Pukkelpop has been destroyed by the worst storm we have ever been in. Please everyone: help each other," The Naked and Famous said on Twitter.

The band had completed their performance prior to the storm, their management said. The Auckland five-piece and their stage crew were safe but their toughts are with those directly affected by the tragedy and their families.

The Naked and Famous won New Zealand's leading songwriting award -- the APRA Silver Scroll -- in 2010 for their single Young Blood.

This was the second deadly incident at an outdoor festival in a week. On Saturday, parts of a stage collapsed at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis, killing five people and injuring dozens when winds of up to 112kmh hit the site.